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NNY 



BY 


Charles C. McMichael J 

a 


The Story of a Dog That Had 
Always Lived in a City, That 
Found a Bich Experience Visiting 
with Two Boys in the Country, 


/ 




HAMMOND, INDIANA 

W. B. CONKEY COMPANY 
publishers 

1916 


(V 





SONNY 



A Story for Boys from 
Eight to Eighty 

I approve of a youth that has 
something of the Old Man in him, 
so I am no less pleased with an Old 
Man that has something of the Youth’* 


Tr. — Cicero 



Copyright 1916 

BY 


CHARLES C. McMICHAEL 


ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 


©C1,A453412 


Ul. M ^ ^ ^ 


GEORGE and WILLIAM 
I Dedicate This Volume 




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CONTENTS 


Chapter I page 

Sonny 13 

Chapter II 

The Emancipation 28 

Chapter III 

The Adoption 37 

Chapter IV 

The Initiation 47 

Chapter V 

Second Degree Hilarity 59 

Chapter VI 

Third Degree Complexity 69 

Chapter VII 

Skirmishing 79 

Chapter VIII 

The Fury of Battle 89 

Chapter IX 

The Victors^ Processional 108 


CONTENTS 


Chapter X page 

A Black Cat Travesty 113 

Chapter XI 

A Watchful Waiting 129 

Chapter XII 

A Leave of Absence 137 

Chapter XIII 

The Return 149 

Chapter XIV 

A Sunday Morning 165 

Chapter XV 

Quarterly Meeting 179 

Chapter XVI 

The Cost of High Living 195 

Chapter XVII 

The Village School 217 

Chapter XVIII 

Presto 235 

Chapter XIX 

Crossed Wires 251 

Chapter XX 

The Finish 269 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

Sonny Frontispiece 

George and William 17 

The Boys Plan a Campaign 81 

Holler ’N uff ! 97 

Darling Roxie 153 

High Living 201 


Come On^ Professor^ WeTl Help You Home 225 


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INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 


The characters and events in this story are drawn 
from life — Sonny is a real dog; George and William 
are real boys. The writer has not an imagination 
that could hook up the ridiculous predicaments into 
which Sonny and the two boys are constantly falling, 
or the happenings that are consequent upon their 
innocent blunders. 

I ought to say, however, in justice to the boys, and 
the dog too, for that matter, that not all happenings 
should be attributed to them. As a matter of fact 
the story is a composite one, being made up of the 
experiences of several individuals. I have chosen, 
however, for the sake of the story, to make George 
and William the chief actors, in as much as the major 
portion of the story must be charged back to balance 
up the account of two boys that “Call me daddy. 
That’s alll” 


The Author. 


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‘‘Blessings on thee, dog of mine 
Pretty collars make thee fine, 
Sugared milk make fat thee! 
Pleasures wag on in thy tail — 
Hands of gentle motion fail 
Nevermore, to pat thee” 


* * 


* * * * 


“Leap! thy broad tail waves a light; 
Leap! thy slender feet are bright, 
Canopied in fringes. 

Leap — those tasseled ears of thine 
Flicker strangely, fair and fine, 

Down their golden inches” 


— Browning. 


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CHAPTER ONE. 


SONNY. 

Sonny had always lived in Chicago. He was 
the only heir apparent of a household, the head of 
which is a reporter on a Chicago daily and the mis- 
tress of which had all the time necessary to comb 
and brush him daily, give him a bath twice a week 
and keep his locks as best befit the pup. 

His breeding was much talked about. He is 
part bird-dog, of the English- Setter variety, as is 
manifest by his white coat with blue spots predomi- 
nating in the under color throughout his body. His 
ears are large and the blue-black silken locks that 
adorn them glisten in the sunlight. But to those up 
in Dogology it is distinctly manifest that the major 
portion of blood that courses through his veins is just 
dog. This, however, did not lessen the affection which 


13 


14 


SONNY 


his mistress had for him. Aside from her husband, 
Sonny was the only object of the household upon 
which she could bestow affection, and consequently 
he received an undue amount of attention. 

His chief occupation was to sit upon a cushioned 
window seat and view the passersby from a second 
story flat. He lounged about upon rugs and couch 
pillows at will and at night slept upon the foot of 
the bed of his mistress, covered and tucked away as 
“snug as a bug in a rug.” He was given an open 
air outing every day, but the only liberties which he 
enjoyed were those bounded by a six-foot chain. His 
associations with other canines was very limited, for 
any attentions shown other dogs were met with a 
stern rebuke and he was toddled along on his journey. 

If perchance he got his feet wet or muddy when 
on his daily walks, he was taught to wait at the door 
until they were wiped and he was otherwise made fit 
for admission. He was taught to say his prayers by 
bowing his head until the “Amen” from his mistress 


SONNY 


15 


completed the performance. He was given a chair at 
the dining table and received his food from the hands 
of his master or mistress. If perchance he struck a 
bone, he at once proceeded to a rug which had been 
prepared for his individual needs, where it was dis- 
patched, whereupon he would again resume his seat 
at the table. 

The candy kitchen was visited daily and Sonny 
shared the sweetmeats and fared sumptuously every 
day. His favorite treat was an ice cream cone, which 
he ate from the hands of his mistress as delicately 
as do most children, and he would smack his lips 
and bark for more when the first was gone. If it 
was thought best to allow him a second cone it was 
procured for him. 

This high life, however, was not the best for Sonny 
for he had frequent brashes. Nevertheless every 
indisposition was quickly set right, for he was at once 
hustled off to the hospital where his ailments were 
treated, the cost never being counted, for money was 


16 


SONNY 


lavishly expended to make him comfortable and 
happy. Upon his return there was rejoicing over his 
home coming. As a result of such surroundings he 
was a genuinely spoiled dog. 

Sonny, however, grew restless. When on his 
daily walks his actions showed all too clearly that he 
needed a change of environment. Discontent grad- 
ually grew upon him for the silver spoon born in his 
mouth had lost its charm. It was finally decided that 
Sonny should go visiting. Accordingly, his mistress 
arranged for a visit with her sister in Coshocton, Ohio, 
who has two boys. It was thought that if Sonny 
could share the sports of the two boys for a season 
it would probably be beneficial to him. 

Arrangements having been made. Sonny was 
given his bath, his silken locks were combed and a 
dainty blue ribbon drawn through the links of his 
silver collar adorned his neck and he was ready for 
the trip. 

His journey in the baggage car was a sad contrast 


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George and William 


SONNY 


17 


to the rich tapestries and cushions which he had left 
at home. The smoke, cinders and dust, too, had a 
telling effect upon his white coat. It was a new 
experience to him. He was offered a chicken lunch 
at Columbus, Ohio, but he was so nervous he could 
not eat. When he arrived in Coshocton he was pretty 
well worn out, but he was given a royal welcome at 
the hands of the two boys who had been waiting 
anxiously for his coming. He was given a good bed 
on cushions and on the following morning he was as 
bright as a new dollar. 

George and William are the two boys who were to 
entertain Sonny. They are genuinely good boys but 
full of all the characteristics that go to make up a 
boy — two veritable sunbeams constantly darting 
through the shadows to transform them into the joys 
that make life worth living. They are as constant in 
their search for pleasure — claiming their rightful 
share of the real, happy life — as were the ancients 
in quest of the “Golden Fleece.” 

2 


18 


SONNY 


They are, nevertheless, subject to all the frailties 
that link them with humanity. They have had their 
share of stubbed toes, measles, itch and mumps. They 
have been licked by the older boys and have pulled 
weeds in the garden when the fishing was fine and 
much more to their liking. They have been spanked 
for picking the frosting off of their mother’s cake 
and sent to bed early when their sister has a beau. 

But through it all their sense of humor, and some- 
times wit, prevails and their cares are tossed aside to 
grasp for the speckled beauties that dangle constantly 
before them and lure them on in their bewildering 
maze of innocent, rollicking fun. 

When they heard that Sonny was coming they 
began their plans to Avrite a few new chapters in 
their book of beginnings. They never had owned a 
dog and their childish fancy pictured whole worlds 
of fun with him. 

George is fourteen and William is ten. They had 
acquainted their chums down town of Sonny’s coming. 


SONNY 


19 


with whom it had been arranged to bring him down 
and show him off as soon as he arrived. George and 
William had had many a chuckle about Aunty’s dog 
which they proposed to bring up in the way he should 
go, for, as George put it, “Aunt Lucy don’t know 
anything about bringing up dogs anyway.” 



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*‘How beautiful is youth! how bright it gleams 
With its illusions, aspirations, dreams! 

Book of Beginnings, Story without End, 

Each maid a heroine and each man a friend” 


— Longfellow. 




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CHAPTER TWO. 


THE EMANCIPATION. 

Bright and early the next morning the two boys 
were ready for their first day’s outing. But Aunt 
Lucy protested against Sonny being taken out until 
he be given a bath, thoroughly dried and combed. 

The forenoon wore heavily away for the two boys 
while Sonny was undergoing his preparations to make 
his debut in the new city. He was ready to go at 
noon. George and William were called to dinner, 
but both were so anxious to get started that neither 
of the boys ate anything worth speaking about. 
Sonny was in about the same boat for he must have 
thought that something was in the wind. The chain 
was finally placed in George’s hand with specific 
instructions from Aunty to take good care of Sonny, 
not to let him get hurt or muddy, for callers were 

23 


24 


SONNY 


expected that afternoon and Sonny must show up 
at his best. 

Sonny’s white coat fairly glistened in the sunlight 
of a February day and a brand new ribbon adorned 
his collar as upon the day previous. Each boy was 
given a sandwich, and an extra one for Sonny, and 
a dime each for candy, a part of which the dog was 
to share. The boys listened intently to Aunt Lucy’s 
instructions which began to assume the length of the 
moral code, and their convictions about her foolish 
notions over her dog were confirmed. Frequently 
William would shove up behind George to hide his 
chuckling face, for instructions kept pouring forth 
as if they had been recited to a record of a phonograph 
and was now being turned loose on the boys. 

“Finally Brethren,” as Aunt Lucy puts it, the 
boys got started. The sun was shining bright and it 
had warmed considerably since early morn. A slush 
extended from curb to curb, resulting from the melt- 
ing ice and snow, while as yet the walks were a glare 


THE EMANCIPATION 


25 


of ice. George and William were in high spirits as 
they started down the street husily chatting and 
speculating about how Sonny would show up. A 
bend in the street soon took them out of sight of the 
house and once here the chain was unsnapped and 
for the first time in his life he was a free dog. 

Sonny was wild with delight. Half crazed with 
his liberties, he ran frantically about, up to and away 
from the boys, whom he evidently regarded as his 
liberators — his emancipation had come. Scarcely a 
square was passed until Sonny spied his first dog. 
He was just ahead on the side walk down a steep 
incline. After him Sonny went pelmell with both 
boys in hot pursuit, yelling, “Sick! Sick!” 

Sonny was not acquainted with this vernacular, 
and was only in for fun. The dog in the lead heard him 
coming and turned about to see what was doing. 
Sonny tried to stop, but couldn’t. Down the icy 
pavement he slid and smashed into his adversary with 
all the force of a head-on collision. Sonny was 


26 


SONNY 


clinched by his foe and given a polite little shake, but 
neither dog was much in for fight and not much re- 
sulted. Sonny got a cut over one eye, got up, shook 
himself and started off for a new deal. 

George and William were pretty thoroughly dis- 
gusted with the outcome of this round, for they 
expected to clean up the town on short notice 
with Sonny. However, they pushed on down the 
street and stopped at a candy store to invest their 
dimes. 

While in here the dog missed the boys and ran 
frantically about trying to locate them. They came 
out of the store just in time to see him collide with 
another dog as he turned the corner. This was the 
second collision which he had experienced. The two 
clinched and a clever little scrap ensued. This time 
Sonny showed some fight and came off victor without 
a scratch. 

These were new experiences and Sonny was begin- 
ning to enjoy real dog life. He was given a share 


THE EMANCIPATION 


27 


of the candy, a pat on the head, and the boys started 
on down town where boys and dogs began to be 
thicker. 

Sonny was suddenly halted by another adversary. 
A little dog swearing was indulged in and scrap 
number three was on. 

This time Sonny was in for blood and a fierce 
conflict followed. The boys had heard of dog fights 
but had never witnessed the genuine article. In a 
short time there were no less than half a dozen dogs 
in the deal with a circle of small boys about to see 
how the new dog would show up. Pandemonium 
reigned. There was the gnashing of teeth, the savage 
growl and bark of some, and a howl from one in the 
bunch with Sonny in the bottom of the pile. George 
proposed to stop the fight. 

“Let ’em alone,” shouted a small boy in the circle, 
“or I’ll—” 

“No you won’t,” retorted George. “If you inter- 
fere I’ll give you what the under dog in the fight is 
getting. There’s no fun in seeing anything get hurt.” 


28 


SONNY 


Whereupon George watched his chance, got Sonny 
by the hind leg and pulled him out of the fight. He 
was considerably used up. One ear was bleeding, one 
foot was hurt and his coat was bedrabbled from the 
slush of the street. 

“Gee, what will Aunt Lucy say when she sees 
Sonny?” asked William. 

“Oh, never mind,” answered George. “We’ll 
take him to the barn and turn the hose on him. That 
will clean him up. We will get Helen to give us 
another ribbon for his collar and when he is dried we 
will brush him and he will be all right.” 

This thought put the boys in pretty good spirits 
and they started home. They stopped at the barn 
to do the chores and clean up Sonny. A Jersey cow 
and calf occupied a box stall. They were let out 
separately to go to the hydrant for water. Sonny 
was pretty well limbered up from his three scraps by 
his trip home and was making himself generally con- 
spicuous about the barn. The stall door was slid back 


THE EMANCIPATION 


29 


and Jersey came out, and the door then closed, but 
by chance did not slide clear back. 

This was the first time Sonny had ever seen a 
cow, and the first time the cow had ever seen Sonny. 
Both cow and dog stopped and looked in blank 
amazement at each other. Then with a snort and 
swing of her head, Jersey made for Sonny. In his 
scramble to get away from the cow, he dodged 
through the crack in the stall door, not knowing that 
the calf was inside, and the calf not knowing that the 
dog was outside. Like a shot out of a gun he made 
his escape from the cow, only to land under the feet 
of the astonished calf. A stampede followed, each 
trying to get out of the road of the other. Sonny half 
howling, half barking, and the calf bellowing and 
scrambling. Sonny slipped and fell in the filth of the 
stall and likewise did the calf. Sonny finally made 
his escape back through the door, gave the cow the slip 
and got safe in front of the barn where he wheeled 
about and barked to a fare-you well. 


30 


SONNY 


This was the most genuine sport the boys had had. 
As he stood there barking the boys were splitting 
their sides laughing at his appearance as contrasted 
with the condition which he had left the house a 
couple of hours previous. 

His head was well covered with blood from his 
bleeding ear, one eye was swollen nearly shut from 
his first conflict, he had one game foot, his entire coat 
was bedrabbled with mud and slush from the street, 
and one side was besmirched with the filth which he 
had mopped up off the stable floor. But Sonny 
seemed to be enjoying it as much as were the boys. 

‘T wonder what Aunt Lucy would think about 
his change of environment if she could see him now?” 
queried George. 

‘T don’t know what change of en-en-en — What 
did you say, George? What does that mean?” asked 
William. 

George tried to make himself understood by ex- 
plaining that ‘'change of environment” meant to be 
placed where he finds out and sees new things. 


THE EMANCIPATION 


31 


“Well,” said William, “he has found out some new 
things today all right. He has seen ‘a few’ too. But 
what will Aunt Lucy say?” 

“Never mind Aunt Lucy. We’ll clean him up as 
soon as we have a little more fun,” replied George. 

Sonny had one more ordeal to pass through before 
he was to be introduced to the hose. That was the 
can to the tail. The boys had heard of the sport but 
had never witnessed it, and not knowing what might 
happen, it was decided to take him inside the barn 
and close the door. 

While George was attaching the can both boys 
were guessing what would happen. 

“Will this be some more of that ‘change of ’viron- 
ment?’ ” asked William. 

“I suppose so,” said George, as he drew the last 
loop which attached the can, and the dog was off. 

Not much attention was paid to the can at first, 
as the boys had sat down upon the straw at the rear 
of the barn where the ceremony of applying the can 


32 


SONNY 


had been gone through. Sonny went trotting about 
very little concerned and a look of disappointment 
stole over each of the boys’ faces as they watched for 
developments. However, Sonny soon struck the 
cement floor of the barn. Here the can began to rattle 
and for the first time the dog began to realize that 
the can was following him. 

In a remarkably short time Sonny began to show 
speed. Round number one was completed and as 
the speed increased, the can began to pound all the 
louder upon the floor, against the ends of the stalls 
as he passed, buggy spokes and other obstacles in the 
path of the race. It seemed to the boys that Sonny 
was doing his best. But the can began to bound like 
a ball, and every few jumps Sonny would get a bump 
on his rump and the third round brought out more 
speed and noise than ever. Sonny was getting scared 
and began to yelp. Horses’ heads began to go up 
and the boys were amazed at the wild race Sonny was 
now making. He fairly flew. 


THE EMANCIPATION 


33 


“Gee, look at him go!” shouted William. 

“Wouldn’t he make a rabbit go some if he were 
after one now?” replied George. 

The boys began to shout at Sonny. Jersey and 
the calf became excited, horses were snorting, the dog 
was yelping and it sounded as if a whole menagerie 
had been turned loose in the barn. 

But Sonny was growing desperate and alas for 
the boys, he spied a way of escape through a ventilator 
in the rear of the barn. Through it he flew. The 
can, catching on the side of the ventilator as he made 
his exit, broke the string which held the can, but did 
not loosen the loop of the string on Sonny’s tail. Not 
missing the can. Sonny broke for the house yelping 
at every jump. Their sister, Helen, heard the com- 
motion and opened the door to see what was going 
on just as Sonny lit on the porch. Before anyone 
could tell what had happened. Sonny spied his mis- 
tress, who was gowned in her best in a circle of callers, 
and at a single bound landed at her feet and cuddled 


3 


34 


SONNY 


down, trembling in deadly terror from this experi- 
ence. 

The callers had never heard of Sonny and they 
were dumbfounded for Aunt Lucy shrieked in wild 
astonishment over Sonny’s sad plight. A stampede 
followed and there was now about as much commo- 
tion in the house as there had been in the barn a 
moment previous. The boys saw what had happened, 
heard the tumult inside and concluded to go up to 
their Uncle’s to stay over night until the first fury of 
the storm would subside at home. 


**0h who, when fading of itself away, 

Would cloud the sunshine of his little day; 

Now is the May of life. Careering round, 

Joy wings his feet, joy lifts him from the 
ground,” 

— Rogers. 


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CHAPTER THREE. 


THE ADOPTION. 

The next morning as George and William left 
their Uncle’s they were speculating as to what kind 
of a reception they would receive at home. Half an 
hour’s walk brought them to the scene of their first 
day’s adventure with Sonny. With fear and trem- 
bling they pushed open the kitchen door to find Aunt 
Lucy combing and brushing Sonny. 

At the sight of the boys the dog leaped to greet 
their return and twisted himself into all kinds of 
friendly contortions at their appearance. 

He ran to George, reared up upon his hind legs 
and placed his fore paws upon George’s chest as much 
as to say, “Come on, let’s try it again.” 

George threw his arms about him and hugged him 
and lifted him from the floor as he waltzed about over 


37 


38 SONNY 

the floor with him in return for the welcome accorded 
him. 

When George released him, Sonny ran to William 
and was no less demonstrative in his greetings. Wil- 
liam was a little light in weight to withstand the 
unexpected reception and when Sonny’s paws landed 
upon William’s chest, William went sprawling back- 
wards. But he had thrown his arms about the dog’s 
neck and boy and dog went rolling on the floor. Sonny 
scrambling to get away and William struggling to 
get on top. The wrestling match began to take on 
a humorous aspect for there was soon a strange 
admixture of boy, dog and floor rugs all in a confused 
heap, stirring up a commotion which would make a 
close second to the final act of the first day’s 
experiences. 

These manifestations of Sonny over the return of 
the boys nearly broke Aunt Lucy’s heart. She had 
petted and toted him about, combed and brushed 
him, had fed him upon the fat of the land, and while 


THE ADOPTION 


39 


he always manifested an affection for his mistress, yet 
never once in his life had he made such a demonstra- 
tion upon her return. 

It was well for the boys that matters had turned 
out in this manner, for Aunt Lucy had fussed and 
fumed the whole evening before upon the “outlandish 
abuse of Sonny” at the hands of the two boys, and 
she had a curtain lecture all prepared for the boys. 
Their mother, too, had a hand in cleaning up Sonny 
and in assisting her sister in administering the dog’s 
bath. 

Aunt Lucy never said a word to the boys as they 
entered for Sonny broke up the whole line of lecture 
that she had in store for the boys by his reception 
of them. 

Their mother heard the scrambling of William 
and Sonny upon the floor and came in to see what it 
was all about for the boys had come in so quietly 
that she did not know of their return. As she entered 
the kitchen, she saw the scramble on the floor and 


40 


SONNY 


Aunt Lucy began to smile over the situation. This 
changed the attitude of the mother and she caught 
up the good humor of her sister and soon both were 
laughing over the mixup on the floor. 

“Well Kittie,” said Aunt Lucy as she addressed 
her sister by her pet family name, “I guess that all my 
painstakings for Sonny to make him different from 
other dogs is of no avail. Just look at the way he 
greeted the boys upon their return after the horrible 
plight that they got him into yesterday afternoon. 
I took him to the sea shore with me and with me on 
my auto trips; I fed him upon the choicest of food, 
candy and ice cream, have petted him and held him 
in my lap by the hour, kept cushions for him to lounge 
about upon, have combed and brushed him and to see 
how he takes on over the boys after his troubles of 
yesterday makes me thoroughly disgusted with him. 
If a hog’s a hog, I guess a dog’s a dog.” 

“What’s that Aunt Lucy,” asked George. “Did 
you say that you are disgusted with Sonny? Well, 


THE ADOPTION 


41 


there are a couple of boys that aren’t, I can tell you, 
and if you are disgusted with him thoroughly enough 
to want to get rid of him, we’ll take him and take 
good care of him, too.” 

“Yes! It looks like it,” retorted Aunt Lucy. 
“Take good care of him! What in the world did you 
do with him yesterday that got him into such a mess?” 

“Why, Aunt Lucy, we didn’t do anything. 
Sonny started all of his own troubles. He got into 
three fights down town and — ” 

“Three fights!” exclaimed Aunt Lucy. 

“Yes, and if I hadn’t been on hand for the last 
one he would have been chewed up to a finish. I tell 
you I saved him from a complete licking.” 

“Well, that’s worse and more of it,” said Aunt 
Lucy, and some of her curtain lecture began to return 
to her. 

“Well, you ought to see Sonny in a fight Aunt 
Lucy. He’s some scrapper, believe me. If he had a 
little experience he would make a hummer for he’s 


42 


SONNY 


got the sand all right. The first fight didn’t amount 
to much. That was right down here by the Fire 
Department on Cambridge street. But the next 
dog he tanned in short notice. But the last fight 
wasn’t fair, for there were five dogs on top of him 
and I pulled him out.” 

“Five dogs on Sonny at once? Well, it’s no won- 
der he was used up. Wliy this is simply terrible I I 
say it’s terrible and — ” 

“No, Aunt Lucy,” interrupted George, “Sonny is 
all right. He isn’t the least bit sore and that’s nothing 
at all. I have been so sore for a week after some of 
my troubles with boys that I could hardly navigate, 
and now Sonny is as limber as if he had had no fights 
at all. And you know. Aunt Lucy, you wanted 
Sonny’s environment changed and you can see by his 
actions this morning how it set with him. If we had 
him for awhile, we would make a real dog out of him. 
Say, Aunt Lucy, give Sonny to us. He don’t like 
to live in a flat where you live. He ought to be out 
with us.” 


THE ADOPTION 


43 


“What! Give Sonny away?” 

“Yes, Aunt Lucy,” said William, who had ended 
his scuffle with Sonny on the floor. “You can see how 
he likes us, and we will take good care of him and 
you can come down and see him if you get homesick 
for him, and we can send him by express to you for a 
visit once in awhile. Won’t you please?” 

William was now at Aunt Lucy’s knee and he 
threw his arms about her neck and kissed her and 
said, “Won’t you please?” 

Things had taken a sudden turn. A few moments 
before Aunt Lucy was calling to her mind all the 
adjectives in her vocabulary, and if we knew the facts, 
perhaps some more befitting masculine lips, to hurl at 
the boys upon their return, for their abuse of Sonny, 
and now she was debating in her own mind a serious 
question. 

The mother knew that Sonny was not altogether 
a success in the flat, and she helped along the argu- 
ment of the boys by suggesting that she leave him 
for awhile at any rate with the boys. 


44 


SONNY 


Aunt Lucy and the boys prolonged the argument 
for nearly an hour and the boys finally won. Aunt 
Lucy took the philosophical view of the situation and 
told Sonny to “Go it,” and turned him over to the 
boys for keeps. Sonny was formally adopted and 
the two boys were rich in their new possession. 

When Aunt Lucy started home she shed real 
tears as she bade Sonny good-bye, but consoled her- 
self with the thought that Sonny was happy. 


'^Oh! the joy 


Of young ideas painted on the mind, 

In the warm glowing colors fancy spreads 
On subjects not yet known, when all is new, 
And all is lively” 


— Hannah More. 



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CHAPTER FOUR. 


THE INITIATION 

The boys at once set about to teach Sonny some 
tricks. He was apt and many a dog in the ring was 
not more clever than he after he developed. 

He was taught to play the old man act, sit erect 
with cap and spectacles on and smoke a pipe; he was 
taught to “fall dead” after the toy pistol got in its 
work and remain limp until given an opportunity to 
get up. At the signal “catch your tail” he would 
fly about in a circle and to all intents and purposes 
he would make a desj)erate attemjit to catch it, bark- 
ing and flying about in a circle until dizzy, whereupon 
he would turn about and run in the opposite direction 
and unwind himself. He learned to ride a horse and 
hold the reins in his mouth; he was taught to leap 
through a hoop covered with paper ; he was taught to 


47 


48 


SONNY 


race with the boys. On a handicap hundred-yard dash 
the boys would take twenty, twenty-five or thirty 
yards stand ahead and at count “three” he was off like 
a shot. But he didn’t always wait for “three,” for 
he seemed to know what there was in taking the advan- 
tage, and the farther the boys were in the lead, the 
more anxious he was to get off and the less apt to 
wait for the third count. 

His favorite sport, however, was playing leap frog 
with a string of boys, taking his turn in line. Many 
a little fellow, however, was tumbled over upon his 
nose, for Sonny weighed about fifty pounds and when 
he would take his run and jump down upon the boys 
as they leaned over in the game, the fifty pounds not 
infrequently proved too much for the youngsters, 
and boy, dog, and all would take a tumble in the 
street. 

Another kind of sport for Sonny was coasting. 
The surrounding country abounded in hills and 
Sonny was taught to pull the sled up the hill. But 


THE INITIATION 


49 


once up, Sonny was the first on the sled to coast down 
with the boys. He always sat in front and the faster 
the sled would go, the harder he would brace himself 
against the boys to keep himself from falling off. If 
the boys went “belly- whopper” Sonny was crouched 
down on top, barking as hard as he could bark. He 
soon learned what the race on the hill-side meant, and 
so surely as any sled overtook George or William, and 
to Sonny’s mind was going to outstrip them. Sonny 
would leap from the sled, catch Mr. Boy by the pant 
leg and ditch him every time and then run ahead and 
bark to the foot of the hill. 

Last and most fascinating to the boys Sonny was 
taught to hunt. Being part bird-dog he took to it 
like a “duck to water.” The boys themselves knew 
very little about hunting and Sonny developed pretty 
much to suit himself. With the boys it was their 
joy to see him chase the rabbit. 

However, some neighbor boys helped George and 
William and he finally developed into a fairly good 


50 


SONNY 


hunter. He was taught in hunting rabbits always to 
go upon the further side of the brush heap from the 
boys before he began barking. This, of course, 
brought the rabbit out from the brush heap towards 
the boys, and gave them an opportunity to shoot the 
rabbit before Sonny would have time to get after it, 
for in spite of all that could be done the habit of 
chasing the rabbit had become so rooted in his nature 
that it never left him. 

One evening before school was out a doctor visit- 
ing with the boys’ parents, asked to take the dog 
hunting. He got the gun and he and the dog were 
soon in the fields. In a short time Sonny “jumped” 
a rabbit. The doctor shot at it, but poor Sonny got 
the charge of shot instead of the rabbit. 

The doctor was horrified when he saw Sonny 
go tumbling instead of the rabbit and he ran to him. 
Sonny was stunned and very sick. The doctor picked 
him up in his arms and carried him to the house. 

When the mother saw him she was heart-sick for 


THE INITIATION 


51 


she knew that the boys would be considerably broken 
up if Sonny did not recover. 

The doctor assured her that the dog was not 
seriously hurt, though one side was well covered 
with blood. He got a pan of warm water and began 
caring for his patient as carefully as though he had 
a surgical operation in the hospital. 

When his wounds were dressed the mother had 
a small featherbed which she spread in one corner 
of the room upon which Sonny was placed. He was 
then covered with a warm blanket. 

When the boys came from school William was 
crying and George excited, for news of the accident 
had spread as rapidly as though it had been a person 
that had been shot, for Sonny had made friends far 
and wide with his clever tricks. The boys knew of 
the accident and came running in to see the condition 
of their only possession. Sonny, however, was so sick 
he would not lift his head from his pillow. But he 
did manage to wag his tail a time or two as it was 
not under cover. 


52 


SONNY 


The doctor assured the boys that Sonny would 
get well and William began smiling through his tears, 
and said: “Guess Sonny wasn’t hit in the tail, for he 
could wag that all right.” 

That night George and William sat by Sonny’s 
bed until he was sound asleep before they went to 
their bed. They offered him milk, meat, water, candy 
and everything that they could think of, but he would 
not eat. The doctor told the boys that he would be 
better by morning and he would then probably eat 
something. 

The next morning the boys were up bright and 
early. As they entered the room where Sonny lay, 
he raised his head as if to say, “Boys, I’m better.” 
This revived the boys’ spirits and they felt that re- 
covery was in sight. 

After breakfast the boys got him to eat a little 
and drink some water, and it had a reviving effect 
upon him. The next day Sonny was able to hobble 
about, and in a week he was as lively as ever. This 


THE INITIATION 


53 


experience the boys never forgot, and it brought out 
all the human element in both of them as they cared 
for and aided in the recovery of their supremest joy. 

Aunt Lucy never knew of this accident to the 
knowledge of the boys. In all their letters to their 
aunt this chapter in Sonny’s life was always omitted. 

As the days came and went their attachment to 
the dog became stronger and stronger. One day 
trouble arose and George was giving Sonny a whip- 
ping. He had him by the loose hide back of the 
neck and poor Sonny got a good trouncing. 

William took offense at this and took George to 
task for whipping his dog. 

“Sonny isn’t your dog, I guess,” retorted George. 

“Well, he isn’t your dog, either,” replied William, 
“for Aunt Lucy gave him to both of us.” 

“Well, then, one-half of him is mine,” said George. 

“Well, I own the other half,” said William, “and 
I don’t want you licking my half of the dog.” 

“Well, then, I suppose that you want the tail end 


54 


SONNY 


for your half of the dog, and that’s all right; I’ll 
take the head end.” Accordingly the dog was divided, 
George claiming the head and William the tail end. 

This arrangement, however, did not settle matters, 
for William persisted in handling his half of the dog 
to suit himself. He seemed to get more fun out of 
tying tin cans, sticks and bunches of straw to Sonny’s 
tail than fourteen small hoys all put together could 
get out of a circus. As a matter of fact it became so 
common that one day a bunch of boys caught Sonny 
up town and they tied a stick to his tail. But Sonny 
reached about, got the stick in his mouth and trotted 
home for George to loosen from his tail. 

This division of the dog was finally abandoned 
and a joint partnership thereafter proved more satis- 
factory, George considering himself worsted in the 
deal, as he objected very strenuously to William’s 
tin can propensities, and William demanding that he 
would do what he pleased with his half of the dog. 

Sonny was a great rogue at play. If George and 


THE INITIATION 


55 


William were wrestling. Sonny would jump in and 
catch the first pant leg that he came to and shake it 
as if he were going to tear every stitch of clothing 
off of his victim. One day the doctor who had shot 
Sonny was teasing William and he picked William 
up and tossed him to arm’s length toward the ceiling. 
Sonny joined in the fun and got the doctor by the 
pant leg and gave a shake that ripped it to the knee. 
The doctor took a laugh over it and concluded that 
Sonny was evening up for the load of shot he was 
carrying. 

The boys and dog became inseparable and Sonny 
seemed to get as much fun out of all their pranks 
as the boys did themselves. 



''Blest hour of childhood! Then, and then alone, 
Dance we the revels close round pleasure’s throne. 
Quaff the bright nectar from her fountain-springs 
And laugh beneath the rainbow of her wings.” 


— Anon. 




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CHAPTER FIVE. 


SECOND DEGREE HILARITY 

When Summer came the boys went to visit 
Grandma, and what didn’t happen during their stay 
isn’t worth telling for Sonny was always in the 
game. 

As the boys opened the gate and ran to the house 
to greet Grandma and Grandpa, Sonny rushed in 
ahead to strike a snag the “first dash out of the box.” 

Puss and Tom and their family of three half- 
grown kittens were all asleep under the stove. Sonny 
“made a pass” at the bunch. As he went under one 
side of the stove, the cats went out from the other 
side. The screen door was hooked and the cats could 
not get out. Grandma’s table was set for dinner, 
and that was their only hope of salvation. Upon it 
Tom flew and the rest of the cat family followed suit, 


59 


60 


SONNY 


all spitting and growling, and Sonny barking in hot 
pursuit. Tom landed in the dish of apple butter and 
Puss in the dish of cottage cheese, and the kittens in 
their sputter upset the cream pitcher and other dishes 
in their road. 

Grandma made for the broom and Grandpa for 
the boot- jack. Sonny was seized by the back of the 
neck and given a good introduction to Grandpa’s 
vengeance, while Grandma cleared the house of the 
cats with the broom. Grandma then got a case- 
knife and began scraping up the apple butter and 
cheese which the cats had tracked over the clean 
table cloth. Grandma was provoked but did not 
display any disturbance over the affair. Fortunately, 
the stewed chicken, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy 
and vegetables were still in the cooking utensils, and 
in a short time another set of dishes and a clean table 
cloth were in place and dinner was ready. 

The boys were considerably disturbed over the 
affair. Nothwithstanding the appreciation which they 


SECOND DEGREE HILARITY 


61 


had for Grandma’s good dinner, William was so 
worked up that he began to cry. This melted Grand- 
pa’s heart and Sonny was readmitted to the house 
and given a chair beside William. This cleared up 
the situation. Sonny fared as sumptuously as did 
the boys and his winning ways soon restored him 
to favor with both Grandpa and Grandma, and 
Grandma decided that the boys were not to blame for 
the affair for they should have known better than 
to have had the cats in the house when they knew 
Sonny was coming. 

After dinner the boys went with their Grandpa 
to the barn. Here was a multitude of new experi- 
ences for Sonny. He was here, there, and every- 
where, except where he ought to have been and always 
in trouble. 

Just before starting for the hay field, the boys 
put Sonny into the corn crib to clean out the rats. 
The boys discovered some wasp’s nests on the rafters 
and with a fish pole pushed through the cracks from 


62 


SONNY 


the outside broke them loose. This infuriated the 
wasps. Sonny was the only living thing in sight 
and accordingly the object of attack. In a moment 
he was beset with the swarm. Sonny broke for the 
door, and not seeing the boys he ran to Grandpa 
for relief with the wasps after him. In a moment 
Grandpa was fighting wasps with his straw hat and 
kicking about as lively as Sonny, who was rolling 
on his back and snapping at the little pests that 
were making life miserable for both man and dog. 
The boys saw what had happened and were peeking 
around the corner of the corn crib between chuckles 
while they watched Grandpa, as George put it, give 
the “wasp dance.” 

Grandpa was an old blue-stocking Presbyterian 
but the event proved too much for him. He forgot 
all about his church connections and the language he 
used following the skirmish would not look well in 
print, so we pass it up. 

The horses were bridled and brought out to 


SECOND DEGREE HILARITY 


63 


hooked up to the wagon to go to the hay field. Dick 
was the first horse out of the stable, next old Gin, 
and last of all the colt. Sonny was so busy caring 
for the stings which the wasps had given him he did 
not notice anything that was going on. The colt was 
sauntering about and spied Sonny. He approached 
very cautiously with neck outstretched and nostrils 
distended, not knowing what might happen. The colt 
was half doubtful and stopped to size up the situa- 
tion. Sonny was still busy with his troubles and 
did not know that there was a colt within fifty miles 
of him. The colt picked up fresh courage and ven- 
tured very cautiously to within a foot of the dog. 
He gave a snort. Sonny thought his end had come 
and, with a yelp, was upon his feet. This frightened 
the colt, which took to its heels and started down the 
road. Sonny turned after him, yelping and barking, 
and the two went down the pike, leaving behind a 
cloud of dust that soon hid them from sight. 

This got Grandpa to going right. He was still 


64 


SONNY 


smarting from the hot reception he had received from 
the wasps, and now the colt was gone — no one knew 
where, and it must be gone after if there was not a 
forkful of hay put up the rest of the day. 

Grandpa mounted old Gin and started after the 
run-away colt. Gin had seen twenty-five Summers. 
Her coat, originally a dapple gray, was now faded 
into a fiea-bitten white. She was lame in one hind 
leg and stiff in the other three. 

Grandpa was a long, lean, lank Yankee. He 
wore a pair of blue overalls which parted company 
with the tops of his socks, which were wrinkled about 
the tops of the shoes, leaving about six inches of 
Nature’s garb in his lower extremities exposed to 
view. He wore a blue checked shirt with sleeves 
rolled to the elbows and a red bandanna about his 
neck. A broad-brimmed straw hat shaded a clean- 
shaven face, which usually wore a pleasant appear- 
ance, but which was now knit with rage. 

As he lit astride he planted his heels into old Gin’s 


SECOND DEGREE HILARITY 


65 


sides and the two started in pursuit of the run-away 
colt. Gin had seen the day when she could develop 
some speed and Grandpa was determined to reju- 
venate her if possible, while she was about as anxious 
to overtake the colt as was Grandpa. She at once 
did her best, and with a limp and a leap, she carried 
Grandpa down the road with his long legs dangling, 
his loose shirt and broad-brimmed hat flapping in 
the breeze, and with elbows that conformed to the 
unequal motions of old Gin. 

“Gee,” cried George, “wouldn’t that get you?” 

“Yes,” responded William, “but isn’t this some 
more of that change of ’vironment for Sonny?” 

“Yes, but he had better stay away from Grand- 
pa,” said George, “for I can see trouble ahead.” 

Half a mile down the road Grandpa met Sonny 
coming back but the colt was nowhere in sight. 
When Sonny got back to the boys, they concluded 
the best thing to do was to get Sonny out of Grand- 
pa’s sight. 


66 


SONNY 


Two miles down the road Grandpa overtook the 
colt and started homeward fully determined to lock 
up Sonny. But when he got back, neither boys nor 
dog was in sight and things about the barn had 
settled down to a normal state of affairs. Grandpa 
finally got the horses hooked up and he and the 
hand put in the rest of the day in the hay field. 


^*ln folly’s cup still laughs the bubble joy,” 

— Pope. 


CHAPTER SIX. 


THIRD DEGREE COMPLEXITY. 

The boys concluded to make themselves scarce 
about the premises for awhile, in order to shield Sonny 
from any molestation from Grandpa until he be given 
an opportunity to cool down, and they decided to go 
swimming and otherwise amuse themselves until 
supper would be ready. 

They scampered down the lane, across the railway 
track to the creek. The water was clear and warm 
and soon the boys and dog were having all kinds of 
fun. Sonny was ducked several times. He could 
out-swim either of the boys, and as he would over- 
take them and come swimming up by the boys, his 
sharp claws would scratch their backs and make life 
in the water miserable for them. Sonny would then 
be seized and ducked but usually the boys got the 


70 


SONNY 


worst of the deal, and they finally decided that Sonny 
came out on top. 

The bell rang for supper and every person headed 
for the house. 

Grandpa and Grandma were known in the com- 
munity as the Chaperings. They lived in a stately, 
old colonial mansion half a mile from a small village. 
To the boys it was paradise itself, but as they came 
up the lane from the old swimming pool they were 
not quite sure about what kind of a temper they 
would find Grandpa in; so instead of going to the 
barn, where Sonny was likely to have more trouble, 
they went straight to the house where Grandma 
received them with all the affection known to her 
good nature. 

The boys proposed to play strong with Grandpa, 
so they cut a piece off the end of Grandma’s clothes- 
line, which, of course, made it too short on one end 
to reach the post, and had Sonny tied to the handle 
of the wash boiler, which was nearly full of water 


THIRD DEGREE COMPLEXITY 


71 


left over from wash day. The boys got ready for 
supper and when Grandpa and the hand appeared 
the boys were as neat as pins and Sonny was curled 
up asleep as if nothing had gone wrong. 

It was a grandstand play for the boys. Grandpa 
forgot all about the troubles at noon. His charac- 
teristic Yankee smile that stole over his face as he 
sized up the situation demonstrated to the boys that 
everything was coming their way. 

After supper the boys went to the barn to help 
do the chores but Sonny was left behind. About 
thirty minutes later, Sonny got on the anxious seat 
and tried to get away. He gave two or three pulls 
but found he was tied secure and he gave it up for 
a bad job. 

The cows were brought in from pasture and 
Grandpa and Grandma got busy with their milking. 
Grandpa sat upon the milking stool, stretched his 
long legs crosswise under the cow and held the pail 
between his legs while milking. 


72 


SONNY 


Sonny grew desperate at being left alone and 
gave a bound that overturned the boiler, spilled the 
water and Sonny was off, wash-boiler and all. This 
was far worse than the tin can to the tail. Of course, 
he made for the barn, creating enough excitement 
to stir up the whole neighborhood, to say nothing of 
the consternation he spread about the barnyard. 
Grandpa’s hearing was considerably impaired and 
he did not hear distinctly enough to guess what was 
going on until Sonny turned about the corner of 
the barn. 

Pigs, ducks, chickens and cows — everything broke 
loose. Before Grandpa could assemble himself his 
cow had started with the rest of the herd. Her hind 
legs caught under Grandpa’s and he was tumbled 
over and given a milk shower bath. His eyes, ears, 
face and clothes were at once covered and he went 
rolling with the bucket. Sonny flew past with the 
wash boiler after him, which, of course, cleared the 
barnyard of everything except Grandma, Grandpa 


THIRD DEGREE COMPLEXITY 


73 


and the boys. Sonny made another circuit, back 
through the open gate and down the road in the direc- 
tion he had taken the colt at noon. The boys saw 
him going, but could not decide whether Sonny was 
taking the wash boiler down the road or whether 
the wash boiler was just following along behind. At 
any rate he was gone. 

Grandpa gathered himself up and began clearing 
his eyes and ears of the milk and with his long scrawny 
forefinger scraped the milk from his forehead. He 
ran his fingers through his long hair and squeezed 
what he could out of that. He squared himself about 
and said: 

‘‘Well, Rose Ann, this beats me!” 

When she saw how cool he was taking it, she began 
to laugh over the situation, and William called out: 

“Grandpa, you are sure enough a milk man now.” 

The dog was gone. George and William started 
in pursuit, while Grandma and Grandpa began to 
reassemble the barnyard inhabitants and finish the 
chores. 


74 


SONNY 


About dusk the boys and Sonny came back to 
the house. A rough place in the tin handle of the 
wash boiler finally cut the rope and freed Sonny and 
he started back and met the boys. 

Grandpa, much to the surprise of the boys, treated 
the whole affair as a joke. The lamp was lighted and 
Grandpa began amusing the boys with pioneer tales. 
George had had considerable history in school and 
was very much interested in the tales of adventure in 
the early days. To William, however, it did not 
count for much and he lay down on the carpet and 
with his head on Sonny was soon fast asleep. 

Grandma was busy with her mending and did not 
discover that William had fallen asleep until the old 
hall clock struck ten. Looking up over her spectacles, 
she exclaimed: 

‘'Well, Jack! Just look at that boy. Pick him 
up and bring him upstairs while I go ahead and fix 
the bed.” 

Grandma led the way to the upstairs where an 


THIRD DEGREE COMPLEXITY 


75 


old-fashioned bed with curtains drawn about the legs 
and a canopy overhanging awaited the boys. A 
feather bed was one of the luxuries at Grandma’s and 
soon both George and William were lost to their 
troubles. 

Notwithstanding the excitement which Sonny had 
created* during the day, he was permitted to sleep in 
the room with them. Sonny was about as worn out 
as the boys were and was ready for a good night’s 
rest. 




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What's V the air? 


Some subtle spirit runs through all my veins, 
Hope seems to ride this morning on the wind, 
And joy outshines the sun” 


— Proctor. 



CHAPTER SEVEN. 


SKIRMISHING. 

The sun was high in the heavens before the boys 
awoke. Both Grandpa and Grandma were well satis- 
fied to let them sleep, for they could not tell what 
to look for when the boys and dog would appear upon 
the scene of action. About nine o’clock George rolled 
over to find it so late; he called to William and soon 
all were ready for downstairs. 

Before going down, however, they heard some 
small kittens mewing and of course they had to be 
looked up. Nothing had been seen of Puss and Tom 
and the three half -grown kittens after the skirmish 
the day before. Turning the button to a small door 
leading to the attic, a whole lot of curious things 
presented themselves, and among others three small 
kittens about three weeks old. 


79 


80 


SONNY 


Puss had a way in and out. One end of the grape 
arbor was attached to the house, upon which Puss 
would climb and crawl through a broken window 
pane in the back window of the attic. Here Puss had 
her second crop of kittens hid away safe as she sup- 
posed. The boys were careful not to allow Sonny 
to get in for they did not want any disturbance — at 
least not before they had their breakfast. They came 
out and closed the door cautiously, fully determined 
to spend the forenoon in there. 

All three went down stairs. A breakfast of bread 
and milk toned up the boys and they told their 
Grandma that they were going to play in the attic 
the rest of the forenon. The boys and Sonny retraced 
their steps to the attic, but the door was hooked inside 
and Sonny had to content himself with lying in wait 
just outside in the room where he and the boys had 
slept the night before. 

William began to amuse himself with the kittens, 
but George was more interested in the collection of 
curiosities which he found there. 




The Boys Plan a Campaign 




SKIRMISHING 


81 


The Chaperings were descendants from the 
American Revolutionists, and Grandpa was very 
much concerned about lineage and archives, and an- 
nually there was displayed at the County Fair the col- 
lection with which George and William were now 
surrounded. 

Every article was tabulated and had a history. 
Hei*e was a spinning wheel brought from England by 
remote ancestors ; an hour glass, about which George 
had read, but never had seen, was an object of no little 
interest as he saw the grains of sand mark the 
moments as they passed ; an old Flint Lock gun, used 
before percussion caps were ever invented; a saber 
used in the American Revolution at the siege of York- 
town; a musket used in the war of the Rebellion; a 
collection of old time cannon balls and bullets ; a knap- 
sack and a long blue coat that had shielded Grandpa 
in the war of the Rebellion, and the blanket under 
which he had slept on southern fields. Next George 
came across the family tree and interested himself in 


6 


82 


SONNY 


tracing his lineage to Revolutionary times and swelled 
up considerably to find himself eligible to membership 
in the ‘‘Sons of the Revolution.” He was already a 
“Son of a Veteran,” but now proposed to get lined up 
with an organization which, in his estimation, would 
carry with it considerable distinction. 

All the while that George was interesting himself 
in this direction, William was busy with the kittens. 
Fearing that Sonny might possibly get to them, he 
thought, to shield them from harm, that by hiding 
them in some tin cans which Grandma had stored 
away for fall canning the kittens would be protected 
from any disturbance of Sonny. The lids were then 
fitted on. 

The dinner bell rang and the boys rushed down 
stairs to be at the barn when the horses came in to 
ride them to water. That was the last time the kittens 
were thought of. 

Grandma, wondering what kept the boys so quiet, 
went upstairs to investigate. She missed the kittens, 


SKIRMISHING 


83 


but supposed that after the boys left, Puss had carried 
them off to other quarters. This was in hay harvest. 
Grandma exhumed the kittens in September when 
making preparations to can tomatoes. 

The boys hurried to the barn to water the horses. 
Sonny was very much in evidence but Grandpa was 
determined not to have a repitition of the previous 
day’s experience with Sonny and the colt, so he locked 
Sonny in the oats bin, which of course put him on the 
safe side. 

At dinner Grandma told the boys that she wanted 
them to go to the village on an errand for her. Ac- 
cordingly they made themselves ready and dressed in 
their Sunday best, with a market basket on their arm 
and Sonny very much in evidence, they started off. 

Two strange boys with a new dog in town soon 
attracted the attention of the youngsters of the village 
who proceeded to run a game of bluff and ‘‘start some- 
thing.” 

George and William did not know just how to 


84 


SONNY 


size up the situation, but managed to escape without 
any trouble. Sonny, however, had a tussle or two 
with some canines, very much to the dislike of George 
and William. They started for Grandma’s and dis- 
cussed the situation all the way home, planning to 
“clean up” on the whole bunch. 

When they got home they related their experience 
to Grandma, who told them that those were bad boys 
and to have nothing to do with them. The boys had 
not much to say but they were thinking all the while, 
fully determined in their own minds to at least break 
even on the game and punish the dogs that had 
insulted Sonny. 

The remainder of the day was uneventful for 
either boys or dog. They went to the hill side where 
they gathered mountain tea leaves and box berries 
until the bell rang for supper. 

After supper all went out for the chores. The 
oats bin proving so successful a place for concealing 
Sonny at noon. Grandpa decided to put him in here 


SKIRMISHING 


85 


to prevent any such catastrophe as happened the night 
before. Wlien they were ready for the house Sonny 
was released from the prison and with the boys he was 
soon upstairs ready for bed. 







^^Beware 

Of entrance to a quarrel; but, being in, 

Bear it that the opposer mag beware of thee. 


— Shakespeare. 




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CHAPTER EIGHT 


THE FURY OF BATTLE 

That night George and William lay in bed and 
discussed a way to get even with the town gang until 
Grandma called from down stairs to the boys to go 
to sleep. 

The next morning Grandma asked the boys what 
they were going to do. They replied that they were 
going to see their two cousins who lived only a short 
distance away. 

Grandma assented to this little dreaming that 
there was mischief brewing. The boys told their 
Grandma that Sonny would be left in the oats bin for 
they did not want their Uncle’s dog to hurt him. 

George and William started for their Uncle’s 
house. After a visit of an hour or so the four boys 
started out and called Grant, the dog. Grant was a 


90 


SONNY 


large white and tan bull dog — the terror of the neigh- 
borhood. As they sauntered down the lane George 
and William began relating their experience in the 
village the day before. 

Louis and Sanford, the two cousins, at once broke 
in and Louis proceeded to go over troubles that they 
had had with the same fellows. 

“Yes, we know just who those boys are. There 
are three of them. They continually pick on us when 
we go up town and they need a good sound thrashing.” 

“Well, we can give it to them,” said George, and 
he clinched his fist and drew up his forearm, display- 
ing his muscle. “Just look at that! Have I been 
working all last winter in the Y. M. C. A. gymna- 
sium for nothing?” 

“Well, don’t be too sure about that,” answered 
Sanford, “That bunch is a pretty tough article to 
handle. They are always fighting and carrying on 
every chance they get and they put up a pretty good 
scrap.” 


The fury of battle 


91 


“Don’t make any difference,” answered George, 
“I can handle any one of the three.” 

“Well, you may get some of the conceit taken out 
of you too, before you get through with the deal,” 
replied Sanford. 

“You’er a coward, San.” 

“No, I ain’t either.” 

“Yes you are, or you wouldn’t be talking that 
way.” 

“Well, I am right here for my end of it if you want 
to tackle it.” 

“Yes, but where are you going to do it?” asked 
William. “If we go up town and have any trouble 
some more of those town fellows may jump in and we 
will have our wings clipped.” 

“Cowardiel Cowardiel” 

“No, I ain’t any coward either; I just — ” 

“Yes, he’s right, boys,” said Louis, “we’d better 
go slow for we don’t want to get the worst end of it.” 

“Yes, and we want to get even with those dogs 
that jumped on Sonny,” said William. 


92 


SONNf 


“Well,” replied Louis, “we can do that. That is 
the easiest end of it. We can take Grant along and 
he can lick anything in Holmes County.” 

By this time the boys were on their way in the 
direction of the village, hoping that some plan would 
suggest itself as they proceeded whereby they could 
heap sufficient punishment upon their offenders for 
all their flagrant wrongdoings in the past. 

About a furlong from the village a huge rock lay 
at the road side with a tree shading it. Here the boys 
stopped and held a council of war. 

“Gee! If we just had those fellows out here, 
wouldn’t we trim them?” said Louis. 

“Well,” said William, “if you fellows’ll do the 
trimming I’ll get them out here all right.” 

“But how will you do it?” asked Sanford. 

“Easy enough. I know I can out run any of 
them. I will go up to the postoffice where they loaf 
and if they’re all there I will pick a scrap and then 
take a hike. If they take after me I’ll break for this 


THE FURY OF BATTLE 


93 


rock and I will go fast enough to take their wind. 
You three then can do the trimming to a queen’s 
taste.” 

“Capital!” Shouted the other boys, “go ahead, and 
we’ll be right here when you get back.” 

William was fleet of foot — he could run like a 
deer — and knew he was safe. He headed for the vil- 
lage and had no trouble finding the object of his 
search. 

Seated on a bench in front of the postofiice the 
very three boys for whom he was looking were dang- 
ling their bare feet and evidently waiting for some- 
thing to turn up. As William drew near all three 
left the bench and went to meet him and their leader 
exclaimed : 

“Hello, you city guy! What are you doing here? 
Do you think you can come out here in the country 
and put it all over us? Not much!” 

“Who’s trying to put it all over you anyhow? I 
never did anything to you,” answered William, 


94 


SONNY 


“No, nor you dassen’t either, or we’ll — ” 

“Oh you will, will you? Well, what’ll you do?” 

“Well, we’ll show you what we’ll do and that 
mighty quick, too.” 

“Yes, you’re a set of cowards, all of you. Three 
of you jumping on to one ! I can lick the whole bunch, 
one at a time.” 

“Ho, ho ! He, he ! Ho, ho ! Listen to him talk ! 
Say, you little banty, you need to be cured of your 
smartness.” 

“Well, who’s going to do the curing?” 

“We are.” 

“When?” 

“Right now.” 

“Where?” 

“Right here.” 

William saw that it was beginning to look like 
business and he brought the argument to an abrupt 
close by slugging the ring leader a thump on the nose 
that brought the gore from it, and then took to his 
heels. 


THE FURY OF BATTLE 


95 


All three boys started after William and the race 
to the rock began. 

It was a walk-away for William. He kept just 
far enough ahead to make himself safe and to keep the 
three after him. They turned the corner; the three 
boys behind the rock saw them coming and a couple of 
the dogs — the very ones that had jumped on Sonny — 
were barking at their side. William stubbed his toe 
and nearly fell, and before he could regain himself 
his pursuers were not more than three feet behind. 
William, however, gathered himself up and ran like 
a white head. 

Behind the rock all three boys had their hats off, 
sleeves rolled up, and were holding onto Grant, who 
heard the barking of the dogs in the race and he 
wanted loose. The boys heard the patter of feet in 
the race and the wild threats of the three in pursuit. 

William passed the rock twenty feet in the lead 
puffing like a good fellow but the other three never 
passed the rock. Louis, Sanford and George turned 


96 


SONNY 


Grant loose on the dogs and they cleaned up on the 
boys. 

The boys from town saw the ambush they had run 
into. They were out of wind and the six boys were 
at once rolling and tumbling in the dusty road, with 
Louis, Sanford and George the major portion of the 
time on top, pounding their enemies for further 
orders. 

“Holler ’nuf !” shouted Louis. 

“Never.” 

“Oh, you woi^’t, won’t you? Well, we’ll show you 
a thing or two. When you have all you want, holler.” 

The town bunch, however, were up against it. 
Blows from Louis, George and Sanford were falling 
thick and fast. 

William was not so much interested in looking 
after the trimming which the boys were giving the 
villagers as he was in watching the dog fight. Grant 
had nearly put one of the dogs out of commission and 
William was pulling him off to turn loose on the other. 



»>l R 



Holler nuf! 





THE FURY OF BATTLE 


97 


He proceeded to go after him and presently the 
piteous bowlings from the second unfortunate dog 
which Grant was punishing attracted William and he 
pulled him off and the two whipped canines went limp- 
ing up the road. 

“Holler ’nuf,” shouted William, as he turned to 
the young riot in the road, “or I”ll take a hand in it 
too. We’ll show you fellows a thing or two. Give 
it to them, boys!” 

The village youngsters could stand their punish- 
ment no longer and one after the other took water 
and yelled, “Nuf I” 

If three youngsters ever had the wind taken out 
of their sails, those three did that forenoon. Before 
they were permitted to return to the village, they had 
to promise to be good and never thereafter molest any 
of the boys when they went to the village. 

The two pair of cousins retraced their steps to 
Grandma’s all puffed up over their victory, each tell- 
ing the other how it was done. They turned in at the 


7 


98 


SONNY 


gate just as the bell rang for dinner, busily chatting 
over the adventure of the forenoon. 

Grandma overheard the conversation, got inter- 
ested at once and asked all about the affair. 

Grandma was mortified over it and at once set 
about to philosophize with the boys about the awful- 
ness of getting mixed up in trouble with such boys. 
In the midst of the curtain lecture which she was giv- 
ing them. Grandpa and the hand came in for dinner 
and thought from the expression on their faces that 
there was a funeral on hand and asked at once: 

“Boys, what has happened?” 

“Nothing much,” answered William, “we just 
went up the road and cleaned up on that town bunch.” 

“Well, boys,” continued Grandpa, “if you did a 
good job, we’ll all go up town tonight and have some 
ice cream on the strength of it.” 

“You can get your change ready grandpa, for they 
got all they had coming and then some. We certainly 
trimmed them right” said William. 


THE FURY OF BATTLE 


99 


The boys were expecting Grandpa to side in with 
them but were not a little surprised to have him pro- 
pose the ice cream over it, for the nickels and dimes 
usually came from Grandma; but to find Grandpa 
so generous got the boys guessing. 




1 : 


%'■ 


V-v 

h ■ ■ 





‘‘O life! how pleasant is thy morning, 
Young fancy* s rays the hills adorning! 
Cold-pausing caution* s lesson scorning! 

We frisk away!** 


— Burns. 



CHAPTER NINE 


THE victors'' processional 

The boys were betwixt and between over the 
situation at their grandparents. But as dinner pro- 
gressed the boys turned the tide in their favor with 
humor and Grandpa finally suggested that they cele- 
brate their victory in some manner befitting the 
occasion. 

The boys were pretty much of the same opinion 
but were somewhat at a loss to frame up anything 
that appealed to them. But they finally decided to 
take Grant back home and liberate Sonny. 

Twenty minutes later the door to Sonny’s prison 
swung open and he joined the boys. All four boys 
and the dog sauntered back toward the village. On 
the outskirts there was an abandoned old red mill. 
As the boys approached they discovered five village 
103 


104 


SONNY 


cows lying in the shade of the mill contentedly chew- 
ing their cud. 

“I have it,” cried George. “The Victors’ Proces- 
sional. There are the steeds awaiting their riders. 
Pick your charger and at count three we’ll all mount 
and see what will happen.” 

No sooner suggested than each boy picked his 
charger. They knew that as soon as they landed 
astride the cows would probably get up but they for- 
got that Sonny was to figure in the deal. At count 
“three” each of the four boys made his mount and the 
cows at once got upon their feet. Sonny gave a yelp 
and the cows with their riders started for the village. 
Sonny was in the rear helping on the race. 

“What will we do?” interrogated William. 

“Stay with it,” shouted George, “we might as well 
start a Wild West show as not.” 

Sonny was soon getting all the speed out of the 
cows that they could possibly produce, barking and 
nipping their heels. The boys were so busy holding 


THE VICTORS' PROCESSIONAL 


105 


on that they did not realize that they were entering 
the town. Up the street they tore. They saw the 
situation but they were afraid to jump off, lest the 
owners of the bovines would give them what they had 
given the three boys in the forenoon. 

“Stay on,” shouted Louis, and he began to shout 
at his cow. 

The other boys joined him with a series of yells 
that would put to shame a whole tribe of Comanches. 
Sonny was still barking and the cows began to get 
desperate and bellow. As the Wild West show 
passed, the inhabitants came pouring out of the front 
doors like hornets out of a nest which had been struck 
with a stone. 

At the edge of the village the road turned at a 
sharp angle and in a moment the procession was out 
of sight, heading for the watering place for the cows 
half a mile distant. 

Talk about starting something! Men, women 
and children gathered in a bunch at the post office to 
canvass the situation. 


106 


SONNY 


Mary Jones was in the midst making the air blue 
because one of the boys was on her cow. 

“I’ll have the whole lot of them arrested,” she 
shouted. 

“That’s me too,” said Rebecca Ainsworth and she 
stamped her foot in the dust until she raised a cloud 
that fairly choked every one. 

Two other women who owned cows in the herd 
were as emphatic in their expressions of vengeance as 
the two quoted, and their sympathizers were wagging 
their tongues and shaking their heads and raising the 
dust generally. 

Squire Hopkins was sitting in a chair leaning back 
against the postofRce whittling. The squire was of a 
peculiar make-up mentally and physically. One pant 
leg was rolled up half way to the knee ; the suspenders 
attached to his overalls were secured by nails instead 
of buttons; his blouse shirt with collar attached was 
open three or four buttons down. His hat was tilted 
to the back of his head. He was very much on the 


THE VICTORS^ PROCESSIONAL 


107 


bow-legged order, so much so that one might be jus- 
tified in concluding that his trousers had to be cut out 
with a circular saw. Nevertheless, he was the court 
of last appeal in the community. He had seen the 
whole performance and had not yet gotten the 
wrinkles out of his face from laughing when he was 
surrounded by the mob and Mary was the spokes- 
woman. 

‘‘Squire, we want them there fellers arrested.’’ 

“What’s the cause of complaint?” asked the squire. 

This stumped the bunch. 

“Well, we don’t know, but we want them 
arrested.” 

“Well,” said the Squire, “I’ll tell ye the way I look 
at it. Them ’er fellers are old Jack Chapering’s 
grandchildren and they came up here for a vacation 
and are just out for a lettle fun, and if ye’s have them 
errested, the old man will come up here and have ye’s 
all fined for havin’ your cows on the highway. Do 
you see?” 


108 


SONNY 


The Squire had had too much fun out of the affair 
himself to court any trouble and his disposition in the 
matter was final. They began to disperse and the 
disturbance was quelled. 

The boys kept on riding. Half a mile up the 
road Louis yelled, “Jump off!” Four boys landed in 
the road, each taking a tumble, mopping up enough 
dust with their clothes to start a real estate office. 

Four youngsters grinned at each other as they 
gathered themselves together. They were nonplussed. 
They knew it would never do to go back through 
town, so they climbed over into the fields and got home 
by a circuitous route giving the villagers the slip. 
Louis and Sanford stopped at home for supper, car- 
ing nothing about Grandpa’s treat, for all the ice 
cream in the country could not have persuaded the 
boys to go to the village until the excitement had fully 
subsided. Grandpa forgot all about the ice cream 
and George and William were far from saying any- 
thing about it. 


THE VICTORS* PROCESSIONAL 


109 


The two boys were not very jubilant over the sit- 
uation for they were fearing an insurrection from 
the villagers who might put them in bad favor at 
Grandma’s. But a good night’s sleep revived their 
spirits and they were ready for a new deal. 




''Whiskered cats arointed flee — 
Sturdy stoppers keep from thee 
Cologne distillations ” 


— Browning. 


« 


CHAPTER TEN 


A BLACK CAT TRAVESTY 

“Rose Ann, where are those ‘tarnel boys? Here 
it is half past nine o’clock and not a horse hooked to 
the hay wagon. I can’t find enough harness in the 
stable to get the horses hooked up and I’ll bet my last 
dollar that they have taken my trace chains and lines 
to make a swing of. And that dog of theirs! If I 
don’t poison him, it will be because I ain’t got the 
price of the button. There won’t be a living thing 
left on the place if he stays here. And I want to tell 
you, too, that Squire Hopkins just left the barn a 
little while ago and was telling me about some of their 
foolishness up town yesterday, and if it ain’t stopped 
there’s going to be trouble. He said that Mary Jones 
and Rebecca Ainsworth and Sadie Mills and 
Matillda Scharwemski were all coming to see you and 


8 


113 


114 


SONNY 


just tell you what kind of pranks these boys are up to. 
I tell you, Rose Ann, it’s dreadful the way they’re 
carryin’ on.” 

While Grandpa was giving out his pent up feel- 
ings, Grandma was standing under the shade of the 
locust tree in the front yard with arms akimbo, listen- 
ing to him. Grandpa turned about to go, but Grand- 
ma set in to reply: 

‘'Now, Jack, look here. Don’t let me hear of you 
getting any pisen for that dog. You know that those 
boys are shut up in town week in and week out and all 
their pranks won’t amount to anything. If you would 
give them enough money for a swing rope, they 
wouldn’t have to get your harness to use for that. I 
suppose that they are across the creek having a good 
time. I’ll go down to town this afternoon and get 
them a rope if it takes the last crock of butter in the 
cellar to get it. And as far as those old women that 
are coming to see me goes. I’ll take care of them. We 
all belong to the same sewing circle and there won’t be 


A BLACK CAT TRAVESTY 


115 


anything doing when I get through with them. I’ll go 
and get your lines for you, and the boys and me will 
get along all right. They ain’t to blame, Jack. 
There’s no use talking, boys are boys and that’s all 
that you can make out of them, and you might as well 
make up your mind to let them have a good time.” 

“Well, I guess they are havin’ it all right,” an- 
swered Grandpa, who began to change his attitude 
over the situation, “Get your sun bonnet. Rose Ann, 
and let’s go and get things gathered up for I must get 
started to the hay field. If things keep going like 
they have yesterday and today, I won’t get done har- 
vesting this summer.” 

“Never mind the sun bonnet; we’ll go just as I 
am. 

Grandma untied her apron string and converted 
the apron into a bonnet by tieing the hem about her 
head and tieing it in a knot under her chin, leaving the 
strings to the breeze. 

They started down the lane, across the creek and 


116 


SONNY 


sure enough, hanging from the spreading branches of 
the large elm was the missing harness, but not a boy in 
sight. They had left just after breakfast and while 
the morning work was being cared for the boys got 
the lines and started off. 

Grandpa tried to get the lines by climbing the tree. 
Grandma was filling the space between his feet and 
the ground with a rail, but when the rail proved not 
long enough to aid him in gaining the first limb, he 
was unable to go farther and he clung to the tree with 
his arms and legs like an opossum to a rail. 

‘‘Watch out. Grandpa, you might fall,” piped a 
small voice from the bushes where the boys had hid 
when they saw who was coming. 

“Wait a minute. I’ll get them down for you.” 

The boys saw that it was safe, for by the time 
Grandpa and Grandma got to the swing, the atmos- 
phere over their troubles had cleared up and their 
characteristic good humor prevailed. 

Grandpa began to slide down the tree, but as he 


A BLACK CAT TRAVESTY 


117 


slid the rough bark kept catching shirt and overalls 
and when he reached the ground his clothes were 
riddled completely. 

“There you are, Rose Ann! Ain’t that a sad 
plight to be put into all for just a little fun?” 

“Never mind, Jack, your other suit is clean and 
all mended up and it won’t take but a short time to 
change when we get to the house and I will mend these 
all right.” 

George came bounding out of the bushes and 
started up the straps hand over hand until he reached 
the limb. 

“Rose Ann, just look at that! Beats all how 
active those little fellows are. He goes up those lines 
like a squirrel up a tree,” said Grandpa. 

Grandma was shading her eyes with her hands as 
she watched the performance, and she called out to 
“be careful” for she was afraid he might fall. 

“Now, Jack, how’s the boy going to get down 
when he unties those straps?” 


SONNV 


118 

“Never mind anything about that. I’ll bet he Is 
equal to the situation.” 

William was standing directly under George. 
George loosened the ends and shouted to William. 

“I’m ready.” 

“Slide, Kelly, slide,” answered William. 

George swung around under the limb hanging to 
one end of the strap while William, holding the other 
end, let him down safe. 

“Does beat all what they can think of, don’t it. 
Jack?” 

“That’s what. Rose Ann,” and Grandpa finished 
coiling the lines and the four and Sonny started for 
headquarters. 

Grandpa told the boys to be sure and be on hand 
after dinner for they expected to finish cutting the 
hay that afternoon and he wanted to see Sonny catch 
the rabbit. That appealed to the boys. 

The remainder of the forenoon the boys amused 
themselves about the barn. William proposed that 
they fish for chickens. 


A BLACK CAT TRAVESTY 


119 


George got a darning needle and strung a couple 
grains of corn on a string and attached the string to 
the end of a fish pole. Sure enough Mr. Rooster came 
strutting about in a little bit and seeing the corn 
chuckled and called his mates, one of which grabbed 
and swallowed the corn. Sure enough they had a hen 
on the end of a line. Sonny, of course, had to jump 
at it and when the hen began to flop, Sonny made for 
her and before the boys could get him away he had 
broken her wing. 

Grandma heard the flutter and squall and was on 
the scene in a jiffy. But she made the best of it, 
headed for the woodpile and the boys had chicken for 
dinner. 

Just as the boys mounted the hay wagon for 
the harvest field, who should turn in at the gate but 
the four women callers for Grandma. Each wore a 
sun bonnet and their faces were red as beets from the 
heat of noon. The boys guessed what was doing but 
were not much concerned over the outcome, for they 
considered Grandma equal to any emergency. 


120 


SONNY 


About three o’clock, as the mowing machine 
turned the corner of the small patch of timothy still 
remaining uncut, sure enough, out popped Mr. Rab- 
bit. For once in his life Sonny was in the right place. 
After it he took barking like a good fellow. The race 
headed for the apple orchard the boys bringing up the 
rear yelling at Sonny. 

The dog, however, got some of the conceit taken 
out of him, for he wasn’t one-two-three in the race. 
The rabbit dodged through a crack in the rail fence 
and Sonny jumped over, only to find the rabbit out of 
sight and safe from all harm. The boys came up and 
went to the tree of harvest sweets and filled their 
pockets. 

George was attracted by a large black cat running 
along the fence and he called for Sonny to see him 
put it up a tree. Both boys ran to overtake the cat 
until Sonny could be summoned. George ran ahead 
and stopped the cat in a corner of the worm fence, and 
William stopped its retreat by standing at the 
opposite end of the worm in the fence. 


A BLACK CAT TRAVESTY 


121 


Sonny was on hand. The cat could not get away 
and Sonny grabbed it and began shaking it with all 
his might. But he soon let it go. It proved to be a 
black skunk. The odor immediately became so strong 
that both boys turned in flight but it was too late. The 
clothing of both boys was saturated. But poor Sonny! 
He was so overcome that it made him sick. He 
rolled and tumbled and rooted his nose through the 
grass, but all in vain. 

The boys started for the house. As they pushed 
along, half doubtful as to the outcome of their recep- 
tion, George asked William : 

‘T wonder what Aunt Lucy would say if Sonny 
were to jump into her lap now?” 

“I don’t know,” replied William, '‘but how’s this 
for changing his ’vironment?” 

“This is a plenty.” 

Sonny overtook them as they came to the gate. 
The boys had forgotten about Grandma’s callers but 
they heard them discussing the cow ride and George 
said to William; 


122 


SONNY 


“Gee! If Sonny gets in there it will break up that 
party all right.’’ 

The boys took a run as if going in. Sonny headed 
the procession and with a bound he was in the midst. 

“Mighty sakes alive!” shouted Matilda, and she 
grabbed her nose and bonnet and started for the door. 

The other three women jumped and coughed and 
choked and ran to the porch for fresh air and the 
house was cleared. Grandma went in the other direc- 
tion to the side door. Sonny gave a bark over the 
situation and all four callers thought the dog was after 
them. Down the steps they ran with sun bonnets 
waving and apron strings dangling and petticoats 
flapping, for the strides the women were taking clearly 
demonstrated the fact that they could have used a 
yard or two more in the bottom of their skirts at this 
particular time to an advantage. 

When they reached the middle of the road, they 
turned about and Matilda called to Grandma : 

“Well, Rose Ann, you sure have your troubles.” 


A BLACK CAT TRAVESTY 


123 

“Never mind,” she answered, “the boys and me 
will get along all right. Come back again and see 
me. 

“Yes, we will. You come and see us too. 
Goodbye.” 

“Goodbye.” 

The four callers started up the road all carrying 
sufficient evidence of their call to serve as a gentle 
reminder for several days to come. 

Grandma told the boys to go in swimming with 
their clothes on and to take Sonny along and she 
would bring them some clean clothes to put on when 
they came out. 

The boys took a good soak and got Sonny and 
scrubbed him completely. Grandma, in the mean- 
time, was airing the house and preparing supper in 
the outkitchen. 

Grandpa saw the skunk deal from the hay field. 
When he came into the house the atmosphere was 
a gentle reminder of the affair and he asked: 


124 


SONNY 


“Rose Ann, have you gone into the fur business?” 

“Now, Jack, this is no laughing matter. It’s 
dreadful! But the boys didn’t know any better and 
they are not to blame for it, 

“There you go again! Always taking their part 
regardless of what happens. I suppose that if they 
would break up every settin’ hen on the place it would 
be all right with you.” 

Just then the boys came around the corner of 
the house looking like drowned rats. Grandma had 
forgotten all about their dry clothes. Grandpa, not 
knowing about the bath, stared in blank amazement 
as they waddled up and he exclaimed : 

“Well, Rose Ann, just look at that!” 

“Well, bless my stars ! You poor boys ! Grandma 
forgot all about you. Wait until I get your dry 
clothes.” 

She returned in a few moments with the dry 
clothes and the boys went to the back porch and 
changed. 


A BLACK CAT TRAVESTY 


125 


When everything was squared away and they 
were eating supper, William was sitting next to 
Grandpa, and he said: 

“Grandpa, you ought to have been here this after- 
noon.” 

“Why, William?” 

“We had a rough house.” 

“How so?” 

“Well, when we came in from the orchard. 
Grandma had four callers and Sonny came running 
in and they fell all over themselves trying to get 
away.” 

“Yes, Jack,” said Grandma, “that’s right. I 
couldn’t help laughing over it to see them going out, 
and they never stopped until they were in the middle 
of the road.” 

“Well,” continued Grandpa, “it’s an ill wind that 
blows nobody good, and if Sonny had not cleared 
the house we would probably have had company for 
supper. At any rate, I have always heard that the 
smell is healthy and keeps away disease.” 


126 


SONNY 


“Well, Grandpa, I can believe that all right,” 
said George, “for I don’t blame a microbe for backing 
out when he strikes skunk.” 


when she slept, he kept both 


watch and ward” 


— Spencer. 



1 

1 



i 

i 





CHAPTER ELEVEN. 


A WATCHFUL WAITING 

That night when the boys were ready for bed 
they missed Sonny. The boys called and whistled 
and searched the premises over but no Sonny. They 
gave up the search at ten o’clock and a pair of heavy 
hearted youngsters dragged their way upstairs that 
night for bed. But Grandma poured oil on the 
waters by telling them that dogs liked to hunt at night 
and that he would be home by morning. This helped 
out a little but they heard the clock strike ten, eleven 
and twelve before they went to sleep. 

The next morning both boys were out as soon as 
Grandma was for they made her promise the night 
before that she would call them as soon as she got up. 

They at once instituted a search. The bell rang 
for breakfast, but no Sonny. But both boys were so 

129 


9 


130 


SONNY 


worked up that they could not eat and William asked 
Grandma for a lunch to take along for he said they 
would not be back until they found him. 

They went to their Uncle’s, to the orchard, the 
hay field, back to the barn, up to the village, but all 
in vain. Sonny could not be found. When they 
came back to Grandma’s William was crying as if 
he had lost the best friend on earth. When they 
came in the gate Grandma said: 

“Boys, I heard a dog howling down across the 
railroad awhile ago. Perhaps a train has hurt him. 
You had better go down and see if it is Sonny or 
some other dog.” 

This was the only clue that had been presented. 
It was only a straw for William said through his 
tears : 

“No use talking about that. Grandma, for Sonny 
is accustomed to trains at home and knows enough 
to keep out of their way.” 

However, George was more hopeful and started 


A WATCHFUL WAITING 


131 


down the lane in the direction of the railroad. Not- 
withstanding William’s doublings, he followed along 
behind, calling to George to ‘‘wait.” 

As they drew near the railroad their pace quick- 
ened. They dashed up grade to see if Sonny was in 
sight. Sure enough, a hundred yards away Sonny 
was curled up on the bank of the creek by the side of 
the swimming pool. The boys were wild with delight 
and rushed to where he lay. There was a happy 
reunion. William hugged and kissed him and there 
was genuine rejoicing. 

The day before when they were taking their bath, 
William washed out his handkerchief and spread it 
out to dry. When he started for Grandma’s he forgot 
it and Sonny had returned and slept by it all night. 

That gave a new thought to the boys. Sonny 
would make a watch dog. As they returned to 
Grandma’s, speculations were rife between the boys 
as to the possibilities in this direction. 

Despite the disturbance Sonny had occasioned, 


132 


SONNY 


Grandma and Grandpa were both glad to see him 
found. They were half mistrusting that some one 
from the village had poisoned him but the whole 
situation was now changed. The boys and Sonny 
punished an inordinate dinner. They went along 
to the barn but both boys were tired out and they 
and the dog took a good sleep on the new hay. 

When they awoke the boys went fishing. The 
fishing was fine but the catching was not so good. 
When the supper bell rang they started for the house 
and nothing of importance happened until bedtime 
when Sonny was missing again. 

“Now William,” said George, “you have left 
something again and I suppose he is watching it.” 

William protested and said that he had not; but 
both boys were satisfied that they would find him 
again in the morning. Sure enough, the next day, 
as the second search was instituted, they found Sonny 
watching a willow fishing pole which George had dis- 
carded and thrown over the lane fence on his trip 
home from fishing. 


A Watchful waiting 


13S 


“That settles it,” said George, “Sonny is a watch 
dog. We will take my coat to the gate in the hay 
field and leave it there at the side and see if he will 
allow anything to come near.” 

The boys at once proceeded to try out the new 
game. George laid his coat in the shadow of the 
large gate post and got Sonny to lie down on it. 
Presently Grandma’s geese came wandering along 
and headed for the open gate. Sonny bounded out 
at them and put the whole flock to flight. This tickled 
the boys and even brought the Yankee smile to 
Grandpa’s face. Many a time thereafter Sonny was 
left in charge of the open gate never permitting any- 
thing to pass without the consent of some one. 

That week harvest was ended and Saturday was 
appointed for Grandpa and Grandma to go to the 
county seat for trading. George and William were 
to stay at home and take care of things while they 
were gone. 


I 


i 


I 



'^When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” 


% 




I 





CHAPTER TWELVE. 


A LEAVE OF ABSENCE. 

Early in the morning Dick was hooked up to 
the spring wagon and Grandma and Grandpa 
loaded up their butter and eggs, a crate of chickens 
and other marketable products and were soon ready 
for their journey. 

Grandpa was dressed in his Sunday-go-to-meet- 
ing best — a long black Prince Albert coat over a 
pair of tight fitting black pantaloons, that fitted 
snug over the calfskin boots shined for the occasion. 
A high standing white collar and black cravat and a 
silk hat that had seen quite as many summers as old 
Gin. The occasion had to be an extraordinary one 
for Grandpa to appear in this garb but for several 
weeks he had been hard at it, early and late, and he 

wanted a day off. Then, too, the next day was 
137 


138 


SONNY 


quarterly meeting at the church and he wanted to get 
his political bearings for the fall campaign while in 
the county seat to be used the next day. 

Grandma was as unlike him in make-up as day 
and night. He was about six feet two inches and 
with his stovepipe hat he was a towering spectacle 
to say the least. Grandma was descendant from the 
Pennsylvania Quakers, rather short of stature, of 
a stout build, with a ruddy complexion. She wore a 
black cashmere dress and white apron and a small 
black bonnet drawn close to her head with large black 
ribbons. She carried on one arm a market basket 
of unusual proportions, and with the other hand 
she held the large family umbrella to shield them 
from the blazing sun. 

Dick was untied. Grandma mounted the seat 
from the one side of the wagon and Grandpa from 
the other. Grandma told the boys to watch that 
Sonny did not get into mischief and she would bring 
them something from town upon their return. 


A LEAVE OF ABSENCE 


139 


The boys were determined in themselves that 
nothing should happen that would give either 
Grandma or Grandpa a chance for regret over the 
trust reposed in them. They were at once the sole 
proprietors of the plantation. They were confident 
Grandma would not forget them and they were suc- 
cessful in their determination that nothing should 
happen — not a thing did happen the whole day long 
that could disturb either Grandpa or Grandma but 
the boys had their fun just the same. 

Scarcely had the grandparents turned the bend 
in the road and were out of sight until George pro- 
posed something useful. Grandpa had a three-year- 
old colt which had never been taught to lead. All 
the devices known to the horsemen in the entire com- 
munity had been tried. He had been coaxed, whipped 
and hauled, but lead he would not. He was a fine 
specimen of horse, a bright red bay with black points, 
a small head, lean face, large, full eyes. Grandpa 
prided himself in the fact that he owned him. He 


140 


SONNf 


had offered $5.00 repeatedly to anyone who would 
break him to lead but had never parted company with 
the cash. 

George proposed to William that they break 
the colt to lead. This started quite an argument 
between the boys, George contending that he could 
break him if William would help a little. William 
finally consented. 

The boys started for the pasture field where old 
Gin, the colt, and the three-year-old were grazing. 
They were careful, however, to shut Sonny in the oats 
bin before they started out lest he should put the 
whole bunch to the bad. 

William and George both had several nubbins 
of corn and went to old Gin. She was very easily 
caught and bridled, and the boys led her into the 
stable, the two colts following along behind. Once 
in, the door was hooked. Old Gin was harnessed and 
bridled and the three-year-old haltered with a heavy 
rope halter and secured so that it could not be slipped 


A LEAVE OF ABSENCE 


141 


over his head. The boys then got about fifty feet of 
inch rope and attached to the end of the halter. Gin 
was taken out and the three-year-old followed but 
the young colt was locked in the stable. Gin was 
hooked to a singletree and the other end of the fifty 
feet of rope to this. William mounted old Gin with 
a good rawhide. Sonny was liberated from the oats 
bin and the performance was ready to begin. 

William was to ride ahead and George was to try 
to lead the colt only a few feet in advance. 

Gin started off. When the slack was well taken, 
George started to lead the colt, but, of course, the 
colt went back on the halter. Gin had all the slack 
by this time and the tug of war began. 

George held on to the rope to give the colt the 
impression that he was doing the pulling. Gin had 
struck a snag for the colt did not go. George yelled 
to William: 

“Put on the gad. Give her all you have. Don’t 
let her fly back and have the laugh on us instead of the 
colt.” 


142 


SONNY 


William did his best. He began scoring poor old 
Gin until he brought a welt every time but it put 
her down to business and she pulled every pound in 
her. 

The colt began to slip along, and George, only 
about eight feet in advance of the colt, yelled to 
William : 

“Keep her going. The colt is coming.” 

But the colt, as he saw he was being dragged along, 
even at a snail’s pace, began to rear and plunge, run 
sidewise, and George got a little farther away to 
make himself safe from his plunging. The colt threw 
himself flat on his side in the road. George called to 
William ; 

“Put on the gad.” 

“Then he got Sonny in the deal by sicking him 
on the colt. This was just what the dog wanted — in 
on the deal. 

When the colt threw himself. Gin, being so far 
from the load, could not drag the dead weight of the 


A LEAVE OF ABSENCE 


143 


colt through the dust only at the slowest pace. But 
Sonny piled in with a savage bark and growl and 
grabbed the colt by the tail and began shaking as 
he did the skunk a few days previous. This was a 
new chapter in the history of the colt. William was 
plying the rawhide and yelling at Gin. George was 
yelling at the colt and Sonny was growling and 
shaking at the colt’s tail. 

The circus lasted only a moment. The colt was 
on his feet. He shook his head, threw it into the air, 
and Sonny let go. The colt started to lead after 
George as if it had been broken all its life. He led 
it up to and away from old Gin, and finally he untied 
the halter from the rope and led him any place he 
chose. Gin and the colt were put in the stable. 

William and George were all puffed up over what 
they had accomplished and started for their Uncle’s, 
with whom it had been arranged by Grandma that 
they should take dinner in her absence. The two 
cousins had been waiting for the boys and asked them 


144 


SONNY 


when they arrived what had been keeping them. 
Whereupon, they related their experience with the 
colt. 

“Well,” replied the two cousins, “we might as 
well finish breaking him after dinner. That colt 
won’t stand tied. He will pull at everything he is 
tied to and he needs that taken out of him.” 

Accordingly, after dinner the four boys went to 
the stable and got the colt. Sure enough, he had 
not forgotten his lesson in leading and he marched 
off after the boys as quietly as a lamb. 

“Now tie him to the post and see what he will 
do,” said Louis to George. 

The colt went back on the halter attached to the 
post but he did not break the post or pull it, but he 
manifested a disposition to break up everything 
about him. 

“We must take that out of him,” said Louis. 

Louis then proposed a ducking for the colt. 

William got the post digger, Louis and George 


A LEAVE OF ABSENCE 


145 


hunted for a solid post, and Sanford led the colt. 
All headed for the old swimming pool. Here the 
boys dug a deep hole and set the post just about the 
length of the colt from the edge of the creek. The 
bank was about five feet high and the water about 
ten feet deep. When the post was tamped firm the 
colt was brought to the post and turned with his tail 
to the creek. Louis got his knife ready and when 
George secured the knot which fastened the colt, 
George started as if walking away. 

Back went the colt on the halter. 

‘‘Look at him, boys,” shouted Louis. 

The colt was pulling and tugging on the halter 
with his heels only a foot away from the bank of the 
creek. Louis cut the rope with his knife and the 
colt turned a complete backward somersault and 
landed head first in the water. 

Talk about a splash! It seemed as if the whole 
hillside was caving in and was changing the channel 
of the creek. 


10 


146 


SONNY 


The boys stayed upon the bank to see the outcome 
of the affair. The colt righted himself, turned about 
and swam to shore where George awaited him. 
George proposed that they try him again. They did 
so but all the pull was taken out of Mr. Colt. They 
took him back to the barn and tied him to the post 
at the front gate again but he was completely licked. 
There was no more pulling on the halter for him. 





■ > 


wliS: 




'*IVs all wrong, Mell, it’s all wrong! 

The card’s in the bottom of the deck.” 



CHAPTER THIRTEEN. 


THE EETURN. 

George and William were looking for Grandma 
and Grandpa about five o’clock. After putting the 
colt back in the stable they went to the house to start 
the fire in the cook stove so that getting supper might 
be facilitated to that extent. Louis and Sanford 
decided that they would stay for supper. The boys 
got busy, cut the ham, pared the potatoes, apples 
for sauce, and had supper well under way before the 
grandparents appeared. 

Presently a whoop from Grandpa at the front 
gate told the story of their return. All four boys ran 
at the signal, for Grandma never returned from the 
county seat without something all around for the 
grandchildren. Each of the boys grabbed an armful 
of packages and started for the house. Grandma 

149 


150 SONNY 

and Grandpa brought up the rear with what the boys 
could not take. 

The untying of the packages began. William 
found a pair of suspenders marked for him; Louis 
came across a cap for himself; George ran on to a 
pair of new trousers; Sanford found a pair of stock- 
ings. Then there was cotton batting for some new 
comfortables for the winter, a new dress for Grandma, 
socks and underwear for Grandpa, a Barlow knife 
for George, a swing rope, a new collar for Sonny, 
a lot of seeds for Fall planting, a can of color varnish 
to fix up the furniture, for Aunt Roxie was to be 
married that fall and things about the house had to 
be slicked up some. Then the wedding trousseau 
had to be gone through. There were stockings — Wil- 
liam was trying them on unnoticed by anyone. He 
pulled them clear up to his hips. 

“Gee,” said William, “Aunt Rox must have pretty 
big legs to take such stockings as these.” 

“Well, what do you know about that?” interro- 
gated George, and he saw a chance for some fun. 


THE RETURN 


151 


Aunt Rox had not been at home during the first 
part of the visit but had come home with Grandma 
and Grandpa that evening. She had been piling her 
belongings on a chair by themselves. The other three 
boys made a run for her chair. Louis got the new 
night gown and got into it; Sanford got a new white 
petticoat and bedecked himself in this, while George 
grabbed the new corset and hooked it on and the 
four boys gave a parade about the house at Aunt 
Roxie’s expense. 

Aunt Roxie was furious. This, however, only 
tickled the boys. Grandpa laughed and told Roxie 
that she might as well smile and look sweet over it. 

“Yes,” said Grandma, “boys are boys, Roxie, and 
that is all you can make out of them.” 

“Yes,” said Grandpa, “and you’ll find out after 
you’re home for awhile that they ain’t to blame for 
anything that goes wrong, no matter what happens.” 

The boys joined hands and formed a circle about 
Aunt Roxie and began singing a parody on “Oh, My 
Darling,” improvising as they went along: 


152 


SONNY 


“Oh, darling Roxie, darling Roxie, 

Oh, my darling Roxie Ann, 

How we love you, no one can tell you. 

For we love you all we can.” 

Aunt Roxie did smile and look sweet, as Grandpa 
suggested, which soon restored matters to their nor- 
mal state of affairs. 

Grandma and Roxie then began picking up the 
paper and putting away the family belongings, while 
Grandpa and the boys went to the barn to water the 
horses and get things squared away for the chores 
after supper. 

The boys had forgotten to turn old Gin and the 
colts back to pasture, so Grandpa said that they would 
take all four to water. George got a halter and began 
to put it on the three-year-old when Grandpa turned 
about and said: 

“George, now you can’t lead that colt anywhere. 
All the horsemen in this county have tried to break 
him to lead and they can’t do it. You might just as 
well take that halter off of him/’ 





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Darling Roxie 


THE RETURN 


153 


“Well, Grandpa,” replied George, “there are one 
or two things you don’t know. One is, that colt will 
lead and the second is that he will stand tied.” 

“All right,” answered Grandpa, “go ahead and 
we will see who is right.” 

George had the halter on and swung open the 
stable door and led the colt up and down the road, 
while Grandpa stood gazing at the exhibition never 
saying a word. Then George tied him to the post in 
front of the house and went back to the barn where 
Grandpa was still standing like a statue calmly 
looking on. 

“How’s that. Grandpa? There’s two things that 
you learned today.” 

“Well, boys, I guess you’re right.” 

Grandpa dropped Dick’s strap and went to the 
house and called out: 

“Rose Ann ! Come out here and look at this three- 
year-old. Those boys have broken him to lead and 
to stand tied while we were gone today, and how they 


154 


SONNY 


did it, I don’t know. But there he stands tied this 
very minute and he never offers to pull at all. They 
led him back and forth, up and down the road, like 
I would lead old Gin. Beat’s me, sure as the world.” 

“Well, now Jackson, I have been telling you that 
tliere was something in those boys if you would just 
give them a chance. When you went away they had 
an opportunity to do something and they did it. 
Now, Jack, hurry on to do the watering, for supper 
will be ready shortly and I have a great many things 
to do.” 

Grandpa untied the colt and started up the lane 
to the spring to water. George and William were on 
hand with Dick and old Gin, while Sonny and the 
colt sauntered along behind. 

The spring was only a short walk from the house. 
It was of unusual proportions and walled in with 
stone. It was about four feet deep and as many in 
diameter. Grandpa had not waited to change his 
garb but still wore his long Prince Albert and high 
stovepipe hat. 


THE RETURN 


155 


While the horses stopped at the trough for their 
drink, Grandpa stepped around to the spring for a 
drink for himself. The dipper was gone, so he tilted 
his hat to the back of his head and got down on his 
hands and knees to drink. Sonny was scampering 
about and, seeing Grandpa stooped over, thought that 
he meant to play leapfrog. He took a run and a jump 
and landed upon Grandpa. Not being prepared for 
this. Grandpa went head first into the spring with a 
splash, plug hat, long coat and all. Before he could 
gather himself up he was soaked to the skin. The 
splash in the spring and subsequent kicking about to 
get out, frightened the horses and they wheeled about 
and started down the lane in the direction of the stable 
not stopping until every horse was in his stall. 

The boys roared as they viewed the performance, 
and George called out: 

“Grandpa, I thought you Presbyterians didn’t 
believe in immersion.” 

“Well, boys,” replied Grandpa, “it don’t make 


156 


SONNf 


any difference whether a fellow believes in a thing oi" 
not when he gets it pushed onto him like I did that 
immersion that I just got through with. But that 
dog of yours ought to be thrashed completely and 
if I could get hold of him there wouldn’t be enough 
left of him to tell the story.” 

‘‘Yes, but Grandpa,” said George, as he began 
to make excuses for Sonny, “you must remember 
that he was taught to play leapfrog, and when he saw 
you leaning over he thought you were in for the game 
and he jumped on.” 

“Yes, I should say he did jump on,” continued 
Grandpa. “He struck me so hard he nearly un jointed 
my neck. But I suppose that I will have to put up 
with it and, as I said to Roxie, smile and look sweet.’* 

“Well, Grandpa, the dog was not to blame, for — ” 

“Well, of all things good and glorious. Jack 
diapering!” exclaimed Grandma. “What in the world 
has happened to you?” 

The boys and Grandpa had just rounded the 


THE RETURN 


157 


corner of the house as Grandma broke in upon 
George’s defense of Sonny. 

Grandpa was a sight. The water was still trick- 
ling down his long hair and his coat was dripping like 
the ribs of an umbrella in a rain storm. His fine boots 
were full of water and every step was accompanied 
with a swish as his foot struck the ground. His plug 
hat he carried in his hand, which he used to help out 
in his gesticulations. 

“Well, Rose Ann, things have gone just about 
far enough with that fool dog. He’s to blame for 
the whole affair. I was down on all fours getting 
a drink at the spring and that dog jumped right 
square on the top of me and into the spring I went, 
head first. Here it is quarterly meeting tomorrow, 
too, and I must get up there to get hold of the squire 
and a few others to get our fall politics started in the 
right direction. Ain’t things in a pretty mess?” 

“Well, Jack Chapering, I should say things are in 
a pretty mess,” replied Grandma, “but it’s no use to 


158 


SONNY 


worry over what’s been but just steer clear of trouble 
in the future. The next time you stoop over for a 
drink and the dog is around, have some one stand 
guard over you until you are through.” 

“Now, Rose Ann, don’t go poking fun at me over 
it for this is no fun. I feel like going out and tying 
a stone around that ’tarnal dog’s neck and throwing 
him into the spring.” 

“Now, Jack, there ain’t no use getting mad over 
it, for the dog nor the boys either were to blame for — ” 

“Now, just listen to that again, ‘neither the boys 
or dog to blame!’ Rose Ann, you ought to write a 
book on logic for you certainly are good at reason- 
ing. But it doesn’t make any difference who was to 
blame, that ain’t clearing up the situation. This is 
the only Sunday suit I have and there’s no use talk- 
ing, I must be at the quarterly meetin’ tomorrow.” 

“Jack, you’re making a whole lot of fuss about 
nothing. I can have everything dry and pressed in 
shape by morning if you will just do what evening 
chores I have to do.” 


THE RETURN 


159 


“It won’t take long to do that for the hoys can 
go along and help,” replied Grandpa. 

All the while the argument was going on, Grandpa 
was pulling off his boots and wet clothes while 
Grandma was hanging them around the stove to dry. 
Aunt Rox, in the meantime, had supper on the table 
and when Grandpa put on dry clothes every person 
lined up for a square meal. 

After supper Grandpa inquired of Grandma what 
there was for him to do. 

“Well, Jack, there ain’t much. Milk my two 
cows. Be sure, too, to give the spotted cow some bran 
for if you don’t she won’t let her milk down and the 
way butter is going up I want every drop of milk I 
can get. Then feed the pigs and then get the calf’s 
milk ready. Be sure that the milk ain’t turned the 
least bit sour, and if it is, just put in a pinch of sody 
and get it warmed up a little. Then go and see 
that the hens and their chickens are in their proper 
coops for if they get in the wrong places there is 


160 


SONNY 


always fighting and then the little chickens are 
trampled to death. Then shut the door to the coops 
and be sure that you shut them tight or the rats will 
get in and there won’t be a chicken left alive on the 
place. Go through the hen house and get what set- 
ting hens are on the nests and shut them up in the 
cooler; you might just as well get the water carried 
and put in the pans for the little chickens and that 
much work will be done for morning. By that time 
I will have the churning ready. Saturday night ain’t 
a very good night for churning but this warm weather 
the cream gets sour so quick and by Monday it would 
be so old the butter would be taken for limburger 
cheese. The milk crocks must be filled with cold 
water before the milk is put into them and the skim- 
ming taken care of. While you are churning, the 
boys can wash the dishes and milk crocks and shine 
the stove, for we will likely have company home with 
us from quarterly meetin’ and that stove is looking 
just dreadful. Then get the feed in for the chickens 
in the morning; fill the wood box; and. Jack, it will 


THE RETURN 


161 


be a good plan to fill the copper kettle with soft water 
for there won’t be any time for that kind of thing 
tomorrow with so much going on, and Roxie has 
brought so much home for the wash Monday that it 
will be a big one. Cut the kindling for the stove in 
the morning and for wash day and see that you 
have plenty of it. Kill those two hens I have shut 
up, pick and dress them, for I must get them on the 
stove in the morning and have them stewed tender 
before we start to church. Take a basket with you 
when you turn the cows out to pasture and bring 
back some apples from the orchard for sauce tomor- 
row. While you are turning out the cows, the boys 
can get the new potatoes dug and pick the peas for 
tomorrow’s dinner and some new beets would be 
nice pickled, and we will have some hard-boiled eggs 
with them; and pull some radishes and onions for 
breakfast and get them into a crock of cold spring 
water. Then put the salt fish to soak for breakfast. 
By that time I will have our pies baked and Roxie 


11 


162 


SONNY 


will be through with the cake and you can come in 
and help press your suit for it takes two to do it well. 
When you get through with that you can — ” 

“Confound that blasted dog, anyway!” shouted 
Grandpa. 

“Why, what’s the matter with the dog now. 
Jack?” asked Grandma. “Just never mind him but 
get things started, for you know how things are here 
on Sunday morning when we have quarterly meetin’.” 

“Grandpa, how often does quarterly meeting come 
and what time do you get to bed the night before?” 
asked William. 

“Well, William, we don’t have any set time to go 
to bed, but it is not as bad as the getting up. We 
usually meet ourselves getting up just as we are going 
to bed,” answered Grandpa. 

“How’s that. Grandpa,” asked William, “who did 
you say you met?” 

“Now, Jack, you must get started so you can get 
back to the house and help me here,” continued 
Grandma. 


‘'Who mix’d reason with pleasure, 
and wisdom with mirth?” 


— Goldsmith. 


\ 






CHAPTER FOURTEEN. 


A SUNDAY MORNING. 

Sunday morning broke without a cloud in the sky. 
However, -long before the break of day Grandma 
had the household up and preparations for the day 
began. George and William were drowsy from being 
awakened so early, and even Sonny was shcxi't on 
sleep and he was soon napping again. The boys 
were shining their shoes and dusting their clothes and 
brushing their caps and getting everything in readi- 
ness for jumping into on short notice. So much had 
been said about quarterly meeting that they were 
counting on a big day. 

“Grandma, what will we do with Sonny while we 
are gone?” asked William. “It will never do to let 
him go to church for he would be sure to get into 
mischief, and anyway, church is no place for dogs.” 

165 


166 


SONNY 


‘‘Well,” replied Grandma, “we can shut him up in 
the oats bin and he will be all right there until we 
get back.” 

“Yes, but Grandma, he will get awful lonesome 
there all by himself,” answered William. 

“No, Sonny will be all right. Dogs like to sleep 
on Sundays, anyway.” 

That was a new one on William, and he replied : 

“Well, maybe they do, but that puts me in mind 
of hearing that fish won’t bite on Sunday, but they 
do, ’cause George and I have tried that and they bite 
just as well on Sunday as any other day.” 

“Well, we will only be gone a short time and he 
will get along.” 

“How long does quarterly meeting last?” asked 
William. 

“Well, there’s the Sunday school at 10 o’clock 
and preaching at 11, and the preacher never preaches 
over an hour, and counting in the singing and pray- 
ing and experience meeting, we ought to be out by 
2 o’clock.” 


A SUNDAY MORNING 


167 


“Gee, is that all quarterly meeting is? I thought 
we were going to have some fun but there won’t be 
anything to it if that’s all. I guess I will stay home 
with Sonny.” 

“Ah no, William, that would be very wrong. We 
must all go to church to learn how to be good.” 

“Well, Grandma, learning how to be good and 
being good are two different things. I think I would 
better stay with Sonny.” 

Grandma did not press the matter farther at this 
point but rather suspected that at the last shuffle, 
when every person was busy getting ready, that he 
would get busy and be on hand with the rest of them. 

Grandpa had the lantern lighted and he and the 
boys went to the barn to get the work done up so they 
could get an early start to chilrch. Dick was given a 
good cleaning and harnessed; the back seat was put 
on the spring wagon and the work shuffled along in 
pretty good shape. The bell rang and all were on 
hand for breakfast. 


168 


SONNY 


After breakfast Grandma sprung a new one on 
the boys and Grandpa. Notwithstanding the fact 
that it was Sunday and quarterly meeting and all 
that, the large leather chair had to be mended, for she 
was looking for a caller or two and the best chair 
in the house must be in shape for the occasion. 

Accordingly, Grandpa got his repair kit and he 
and the two boys began the job of repairing the 
upholstered chair. The boys and grandpa were 
down on their knees and were pulling and tugging 
at the leather to get it in place while Grandpa was 
tacking it with the large brass-headed tacks. Once 
William let the leather slip before Grandpa struck 
the tack and the hammer landed on Grandpa’s 
thumb. Grandpa never said a word but he gave 
William a very significant little spank. William did 
not say anything about the spank but decided to 
square that account in another way. 

After about ten minutes, William’s knees began 
to hurt and he looked over at George, who had laid 


A SUNDAY MORNING 


169 


his head down upon the bottom of the chair with his 
face turned toward William, and was making him- 
self as comfortable as he could. Two pair of twink- 
ling eyes met. Sonny was curled up under the stove 
asleep. William gave George the wink, and when 
George saw that the end was drawing nigh, he 
punched Sonny with his foot. Sonny woke up, saw 
Grandpa leaning over near him and he lit on top of 
him again for another leapfrog. Grandpa had about 
half straightened up as Sonny struck him but he had 
not yet released his grip on the back of the chair. Of 
course, least expecting such a thing at such a time as 
this, he was thrown out of balance and with a thump 
his head struck the back of the chair and he went 
scrambling over and finally measured his length on 
the floor. His spectacles flew off; the chair went in 
one direction, the repair kit in another. Every person 
was on hands in a minute as a result of the commotion. 
Grandpa gathered himself up and asked: 

“Now, then. Rose Ann, who’s to blame for all 


170 


SONNY 


this turmoil? I do declare things are growing worse 
and worse, and I don’t know what I’ll do if they con- 
tinue.” 

“Never mind, Jack,” replied Grandma, “the boys 
wasn’t to blame, nor the dog either. You had no one 
standing guard, as I told you to do yesterday.” 

“Well,” said Grandpa, “if that wouldn’t get your 
goat, then I don’t know what would.” 

“Never mind, pa,” said Aunt Roxie, “you must 
smile and look sweet.” And she paid back in his own 
coin. 

“Well, it does beat all what will happen when 
you are not looking for it,” said Grandpa, as he 
started for the door. 

“Now, Jack,” replied Grandma, “hurry things 
along so we can get started early for I want to visit 
awhile with everybody before church begins.” 

“Yes, and I want to see my political friends before 
church too,” answered Grandpa, “for there is plenty 
doing along this line this fall,” 


A SUNDAY MORNING 171 

At 9 o’clock Dick was hooked to the spring 
wagon and was standing at the front gate. Every- 
body was dressed in their Sunday best. The Prince 
Albert suit was pressed, the silk hat shined up, and 
the crease in the pantaloons over Grandpa’s pipestem 
legs set him off in a-number-one shape. 

Grandpa and the two boys were in the front seat 
and Grandma and Aunt Roxie, with the family um- 
brella shielding their complexions from the blazing 
sun, were in the back seat; but Sonny was a prisoner 
in the oats bin barking his head off wanting to go 
along. 

“Roxie, I rather suspect Duley will be at church, 
don’t you think so?” asked Grandpa. 

“Oh, I rather look for him,” she replied. 

“Grandpa, who is Duley?” asked William. 

“Well, he’s a fine young man who will likely be 
your uncle some day,” replied Grandpa. 

“Will he go home with us to dinner?” continued 
William. 


SONN^ 


172 

“Oh, I suspect so. He usually stays all day when 
he comes.” 

“And all night too?” asked William. 

“Well, a good portion of it.” 

“Will he be there tonight?” 

“Well, I suppose so.” 

William gave George a nudge and winked at him. 

This brought a chuckle out of Grandma for she 
had a guess coming that there would be something 
doing with the boys when Duley would appear. 

“Well, boys, if there’s any smartness going on 
tonight, I will even up with you — see if I don’t,” 
Aunt Roxie blurted out. 

“Who said a word about any smartness,” asked 
George, as he turned about with a face of innocence 
personified and looked straight at Aunt Roxie. 

“Well, never you mind. I saw William nudge 
and wink and I just won’t put up with any of your 
nonsense.” 

“Don’t kick before you’re spurred,” answered 


A SUNDAY MORNING 


173 


William. “Don’t you know that my left eye has a 
twitch once in awhile? And as for me nudging 
George, I did do that, but he was squeezing me up 
so close to Grandpa that I wanted him to sit over 
and give me more room. If anything happens you 
needn’t blame us nor Sonny either.” 

“Well,” said Grandpa, “it might be a pretty 
good plan to have someone stand guard for you, 
Roxie, and then you will be safe.” 

“I’ll be the guard when it comes to that, and 
I’ll see that Sonny behaves.” George was the spokes- 
man and he gave William a wink. 

“Sonny will be all right if you just let him 
alone,” replied Aunt Roxie. “Mind what I tell you, 
there will be plenty doing if he and you boys don’t 
behave.” 

A long row of carriages, spring wagons and horses 
lined up to the hitching racks, met their view as they 
turned the bend in the road which brought them in 
sight of the church. A fair sized congregation of all 


174 


SONNY 


ages was in front exchanging greetings and getting 
the news circulated about from all quarters of the 
conununity — and there was a plenty to circulate. 

‘‘Now, Jack, didn’t I tell you to hurry this morn- 
ing? I just knew we would be late. Seems to me 
we never get anywhere on time.” Grandma was in 
a hurry to get to visiting and she took this opportunity 
to get Grandpa to hurry along. 

In front of the church the chief topic of conver- 
sation was the events of the boys at the Chapering’s 
during the past week. Mary Jones was about the 
first to appear and the terrible things which the boys 
had done were related to those who were not 
acquainted with their doings, dwelling upon the trials 
of Mrs. Chapering with a sympathizing strain, add- 
ing the suggestion that they must cheer up when she 
came. Mary, shading her eyes with her palm leaf 
fan as she looked in the direction from which they 
were to come, exclaimed: 

“Well, bless my soul! There they are this minute 


A SUNDAY MORNING 


175 


and both the boys are along. Dear me ! Dear me ! If 
something terrible don’t happen in church today it 
won’t be because they are not here. It would be 
just terrible on her to have some dreadful thing 
happen — but maybe it won’t ! Maybe it won’t !” 

A circle of women began to move to the road side 
to welcome the Chaperings and to lighten Grandma’s 
burdens. 



“Two lads that thought there was no more behind, 
But such a day tomorrow as today, 

And to be boy eternal” 

— Shakespeare. 


12 




CHAPTER FIFTEEN. 


QUAKTEELY MEETING. 

Grandpa was getting some speed out of Dick as 
he came up the last flat leading to the church. He was 
sitting straight as an arrow. The two boys were 
sizing up the situation, guessing about what quarterly 
meeting was like. When they came to the gate, fully 
a dozen women were waiting there to receive them. 
Grandma could hardly get room to get out of the 
wagon as they gathered around and Mary exclaimed : 

‘‘Well, Rose Ann, we’re just so glad to see you 
we don’t know what to do; and here is Roxie too. 
Well, bless my soul, how fine she looks. Just about 
eighteen this fall too! But, I say. Rose Ann, they 
tell me you are about to lose her. Dear girl that she 
is! Really, I just pretty near cried my eyes out last 

night thinkin’ about you and your troubles, and how 
179 


180 


SONNY 


soon you would lose Roxie, and dear, oh dear, what 
a world this is!” 

Grandma had been embraced and kissed by Mary 
as she kept pouring forth her exclamations and lamen- 
tations and passed on to the next for a similar ordeal. 
Grandma was passing down the line ; Roxie was next, 
and following her was William. 

Mary continued: “Well, well, here is William. 
Darling little angel that he is. Mary must have a 
kiss from him, too, and — ” 

“Oh, no not me!” said William. “If you start 
off your quarterly meeting by getting the kissing 
bug buzzing, you can count me out. Come on, 
George, we’ll go with Grandpa.” 

George was pretty much of the same mind as Wil- 
liam, so they went with Grandpa who was hitching 
the horse to the rack. Grandpa was pretty well sur- 
rounded by the political leaders of the community, 
all eager to get the lay of the ground at the county 
seat. 


QUARTERLY MEETING 


181 


Grandpa at once got busy and began to outline 
the campaign to the politicians of the village. This, 
however, had very little interest in it for the hoys 
and they sauntered off by themselves. They were 
conscious of the fact, from the general complexion 
of affairs, that their pranks during the week were 
being reviewed by the assembled inhabitants and 
they were not altogether satisfied with the situation. 

“I wonder if those old women will get through 
looking at us pretty soon. ‘Darling little angel!’ 
Wouldn’t that chill you? I’ll bet that when those 
four old women get into the church and things begin 
to warm up that there will be plenty of skunk in the 
atmosphere, for they have the very same dresses on 
that they had when they were down to Grandma’s 
and when Sonny jumped in he rubbed right against 
Mary. When she wanted to kiss me she smelled like 
a fur market. ‘Darling little angel!’ George, if I’m 
an angel, what are you?” asked William. 

“Well, I don’t know,” replied George, “but, Wil- 


182 


SONNf 


liam, we want to lay low today. Of course, Sonny 
isn’t here to get us into trouble but every person will 
be watching us and I think we had better make a 
home run on our good behavior.” 

“Well, it won’t last very long,” said William, “and 
I suppose we can stand it.” 

The second bell rang for Sunday school and 
Grandpa called to the boys to run along to Grandma 
and go to Sunday school. 

George and William elbowed through the crowd 
and found Grandma and Aunt Roxie talking to a 
handsome young fellow and they half guessed who 
he was. 

“Here, George and William, here is Mr. Huming- 
bee. I want you to meet him for he is going home to 
dinner with us today,” said Grandma, as she pre- 
sented them to him. 

The boys were natty looking fellows and their 
hats came off as they shook hands. Every eye in the 
church yard was on the boys, for their appearance 


QUARTERLY MEETING 


183 


at this time was a sharp contrast to the garb they had 
appeared in during the week. William had become 
accustomed to talking rather loud to Grandpa, owing 
to his defective hearing, and the unusual circumstances 
at this time had the nerves of both boys at a little 
above normal tension. William with a smile, said: 
“I’ll bet this is Duley,” in rather a boisterous tone. 
A smile stole over the faces of the spectators and 
they eagerly anticipated some developments. 

“Yes,” replied Mr. Humingbee, “that’s what they 
call me.” 

“Well, say,” continued William, “to look at you, 
one wouldn’t think that you had such an awful appe- 
tite, but you must have, for Grandma cooked two 
whole chickens before we started for church, and when 
you aren’t coming there we never have but one and 
that lasts two meals. Gee! you don’t look like you 
could eat a whole chicken yourself.” 

This brought a perceptible giggle from some of 
the lassies and the sweat began to trickle down Duley’s 


184 


SONNY 


face; Aunt Roxie was biting her lips in rage and 
trying to catch William’s eye to shut him up — at least 
while there were so many about taking in the situation. 

“And, say!” continued William, “Grandpa says 
you’re going to be our uncle pretty soon. Gee ! that 
will be fine; and last night I heard Aunt Roxie talk- 
ing about something and I suppose it must have 
been about gettin’ married, for she said she could 
hardly wait.” 

Palm leaf fans began to go up to hide the smiles 
that were going the rounds. Grandma turned side- 
wise with William’s hand in hers to break off the con- 
versation. Duley felt his collar wilting and the sweat 
running down his neck. He thought to turn the con- 
versation and said: 

“Roxie, this is certainly a warm day.” 

“Well,” said William, “it will be hotter than this 
before the day is over for it isn’t noon yet.” 

Grandma had been making her way to the church 
door with William following close to her heels. Aunt 


QUARTERLY MEETING 


185 


Roxie and Duley took a stroll until Sunday school 
would be over but the boys and Grandma went into 
the church. 

After the formal opening exercises were closed, 
the classes were assembled and George and William 
were placed in a class of boys about their size. It 
was the average Sunday school class — they were there 
because they had to be and not because they wanted to 
be, and they were not much concerned about the les- 
son. Two of the boys were fussing over their marbles ; 
two others had a jack knife trade on and others were 
concerned along similar lines. George and William 
knew none of the boys and consequently they were 
not mixed in on any of the deals. 

The teacher finally succeeded in securing sufficient 
attention to enable her to begin the lesson. It was 
the story of the Prodigal Son. She gave the story in 
a very graphic manner, going somewhat into detail 
in describing the home he had left, his kind hearted 
mother, his father, the crops they raised, the servants 


186 


SONNY 


he had, his beautiful clothes, the music and comforts 
of the old home. 

As the story developed, one boy after another 
began to get interested. 

The teacher told of the wanderings of the prodigal, 
the fast life he had led, the bad company he kept, 
and his subsequent distress and want. She spoke 
of feeding the swine and the hunger from which he 
was suffering; she then portrayed the plenty at the 
table of his father, and finally put the question as 
the climax to the class. 

‘Tf you were away from home with no employ- 
ment but the feeding of hogs, and you were suffering 
from hunger and your father had such great abund- 
ance, what would you do?” 

No one knew. 

Finally William’s hand went up. George was 
pulling and tugging at it to get it down but the 
teacher saw the hand and she asked: 

“William, what would you do?” 


QUARTERLY MEETING 18? 

“Why, that’s easy,” replied William, “I would 
have killed a pig.” 

This reply was so unexpected that the teacher 
chuckled over it and the boys in the class, embracing 
the opportunity, began to laugh and applaud. As a 
result the class at once became the center of attrac- 
tion, as such a demonstration in the village church 
was quite out of the ordinary. 

The sudden turn of things was somewhat em- 
barrassing to William for he had answered the ques- 
tion in good faith. George, in an undertone, told 
William to keep quiet, for he was fearing an uprising 
of the preacher or his officials which might result in 
receiving an invitation for he and William to retire. 

Sunday school was over and the congregation 
began to assemble for preaching services. Grandpa 
came in. He found Grandma and the boys and the 
family pew was soon occupied. Grandpa allowed 
Grandma to enter the seat first, then George was 
next. Grandpa followed George, and William was 


188 


SONNV 


last of all. Grandpa was determined to keep a look 
out for any disturbance by sitting between the boys. 

The church pews were constructed by the carpen- 
ters and were about as uncomfortable as a store box 
set against a wall. The front of the seat was boarded 
to the floor, allowing no room for the feet to be drawn 
back occasionally for a shift of position. This afforded 
an excellent place for restless youngsters to pound 
their heels against during the long services, and fur- 
nished employment for mothers in keeping down the 
disturbance resulting from the drumming. Grandpa’s 
pew had a wooden stool about eighteen inches long, 
used as a foot rest. George and Grandma were enjoy- 
ing this. 

The sermon was the usual quarterly effort — long, 
prosy and methodical. William soon grew restless 
and found himself kicking against the seat. Grandpa 
silenced this from time to time and George frequently 
reached across Grandpa and stopped the drumming. 
After about half an hour Grandma got to napping. 


QUARTERLY MEETING 


189 


and Grandpa’s head began to drop over on his chest. 
He was soon dead to the world and was dreaming of 
his political conquests in the campaign. George grew 
restless and had a hard time keeping awake, but he 
was determined that nothing should happen to dis- 
turb the meeting and would not allow himself to 
fall asleep. 

William leaned over Grandpa’s lap and whis- 
pered to George and asked him for his knife. George 
pulled his knife out of his pocket and gave it to him, 
thinking it would keep him quiet during the remainder 
of the sermon. It had the desired effect. William at 
once began to cut his Sunday school paper and that 
of George’s into strips about a quarter of an inch 
wide ; he then cut these crosswise into small bits. He 
was making confetti, and putting it on the seat beside 
him. He chanced also to have in his inside coat pocket 
a good supply left over from the Fourth of July 
celebration. He added this to what he had manu- 
factured from the Sunday school papers. The Sun* 


190 


SONNY 


day school papers were finally dissected and George 
wanted his knife. William was not ready to part with 
the knife and he put it into his pocket. George gave 
up the knife question at this time, and William fell 
to filling Grandpa’s stovepipe hat with confetti and 
then pouring it back upon the seat. This amused 
him for some considerable time. 

Grandpa went on in his dreams and the preacher 
kept on preaching. George grew impatient about 
the knife and told William that he wanted it. Wil- 
liam set the hat half full of confetti on the end of the 
seat while he took up the argument with George. 
George was not in for an argument — he wanted the 
knife and he thought he must have it. William pushed 
away as far as he could. George leaned over 
Grandpa’s lap and grabbed for him. Just then a 
safety pin in George’s shirtwaist band gave way and 
imbedded itself in Grandpa’s leg. 

Grandpa jumped; his heels struck the front of the 
seat with a bang that fairly splintered it. George 


QUARTERLY MEETING 191 

jumped back, kicking over the foot rest, which, of 
course, aroused Grandma and her feet struck the 
floor. Simultaneously, with all the commotion, 
Grandpa started from his dreams and called out: 
‘‘Rose Ann!’’ 

“Sh — sh — sh” answered Grandma. 

Grandpa saw that he had made a monkey of him- 
self as he saw the astonished members of the congre- 
gation rubbing the sleep out of their own eyes and 
centering their gaze upon the Chapering pew. But 
the preacher kept on preaching, passing the event 
unnoticed. 

The end came Anally and the audience began to 
gather about the front of the edifice for their fare- 
wells. 

Grandpa, being one of the officers of the church, 
was one of the last to get out. Leaving the door. 
Grandma called out to him to “hurry on.” Grandpa, 
absorbed in the surroundings and paying no attention 
to anyone but the boys, put his hat on, dumping the 


192 


SONNY 


confetti all over himself and bringing a roar from 
everyone in the church yard. 

Grandma capped the climax by saying to him: 

“Well, Jack, you have certainly covered yourself 
with glory today.” 

“Never mind the glory part of it,” replied 
Grandpa, “we must get started home.” 


‘^Vm quite ashamed — ’tis mighty rude 
To eat so much — but all’s so good! 

I have a thousand thanks to give, 

My lord alone knows how to live.” 


— POF 


13 


I 







CHAPTEIl SIXTEEN. 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING. 

When they started home, George noticed that 
Aunt Roxie was gone and he asked Grandpa : 

“Where is Aunt Roxie?” 

“Oh, she went in Duiey’s buggy with him a little 
while ago. They are probably home by this time. 
Aunt Rox will get dinner started by the time we get 
home.” 

A look of disappointment stole over the boys’ 
faces at being given the slip by Aunt Rox. George, 
half impatiently, said to William: 

“I don’t think it was very smart in her to run off 
and leave us. But, never mind, if we don’t even up 
with her before the day is over it will be because we 
can’t get our cocoanuts to evolve something interest- 
ing for her.” 


19i 


196 


SONNY 


“Well, boys,” replied Grandma, “Aunt Rox j 
didn’t run off and leave you ; she just hurried on ahead ; 
to get dinner started for she knew you would be nearly 
starved, and Duley was there with his horse and buggy 
and she just jumped in with him and hurried on.” 

“Well,” said William, “she won’t always be in 
such a hurry to get off with him, ’cause Mama says 
that this thing of getting married isn’t what it’s 
cracked up to be.” 

“Well, never mind, now,” said George, “the next 
thing you know you will run this conversation into 
politics and politics isn’t the thing to talk on Sunday.” 

“^Vho said anything about politics?” asked 
William. “I was just telling Grandma what Mama 
said about getting married.” 

“Well, that was only a joke.” 

“No joke about it. Guess I can tell when she 
gets off a joke, for she always laughs at it, and when 
she said that getting married wasn’t what it was 
cracked up to be she didn’t even smile.” 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


197 


“Well, it makes no difference in this case. Aunt 
Rox ran off and left us and we must even up.” 

Only a short drive of ten minutes brought them to 
the front gate where Duley was waiting to help 
Grandma out. The boys went along to the barn to 
help put up the horse and liberate Sonny. When 
they opened the door to the oats bin, Sonny came out 
with a bound and made his usual demonstration in 
welcoming the return of the boys. 

The boys began at once to relate the good qualities 
of Sonny to Duley. However, Duley was not a friend 
to dogs. He was afraid of the smallest cur that ran 
the streets, but Sonny’s unusual demonstrations of 
docility rather attracted him and he became interested, 
if for no other reason than to please the boys. 

“Just wait until after dinner,” said William, “and 
we will show you what he can do. He’s a circus dog, 
a watch dog and a — ” 

“Rogue,” said Grandpa, with a wink of his Yankee 
eye at Duley. 


198 


SONNY 


William had not been permitted to finish his dis- 
cription as Grandpa had put on the finishing touch. 

“Well,” asked William of Grandpa, “What’s a 
rogue?” 

“Oh, don’t you know what a rogue is, William?” 
asked George. 

“No, and neither do you.” 

“Well, I do too.” 

“Well, you don’t.” 

“I do, too.” 

“Well, then, George, what is a rogue?” 

George began to scratch his head and asked ; 

“What’s the use of asking such foolish questions?” 

“There, I knew you didn’t know anything about 
it.” 

William addressed the original question again to 
Grandpa. 

“Well,” replied Grandpa, ‘‘just wait until we get 
things set around out here and we will go into the 
house and see if we can find out what a rogue is.” 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


199 


A tap of the dinner bell sent a welcome invitation 
to two hungry boys and they went to the house where 
dinner was formally announced. Grandpa was seated 
at the end of the table, of course, and took charge of 
serving the chicken dinner. Grandma sat at the 
other end, 2)residing over the coffee and desert. Duley 
and Aunt Rox were on one side of the table, and 
directly across were William and George, and Sonny 
wagging his tail at their side. 

The guest of the house was, of course, served first. 

“That’s all right Grandpa,” as George thought to 
set the ball to rolling, “let Duley get started first for 
he has a whole chicken to eat for dinner.” 

“And say, Duley,” continued William, “if you get 
stuck on the job, just call Sonny and he will help you 
out.” 

“Boys,” said Aunt Roxie, “I am certainly aston- 
ished at the liberty you are taking in addressing Mr. 
Humingbee as Duley. Were your mother here, I am 
sure that things would be different,” 


200 


SONNY 


‘‘Well,” replied George, “what she don’t know 
won’t hurt her.” 

Sonny kept going the rounds, trotting out to the 
porch where he chewed the joints off of the bones as 
they were given him by various members of the family. 

“Sonny must have a good dinner,” said William, 
“for we will have a circus afterwards.” 

Sonny had given no exhibitions of his clever tricks 
since he had been at Grandma’s and the boys had 
decided that they would pull off some of his stunts. 

Dinner over, the Chaperings gathered under the 
shade of the locust tree to see the show. Grandpa 
and Duley lighted their cigars. Grandma and Roxie 
were enjoying their rockers and the show began. 

Sonny did all he knew. He played leap frog with 
the boys, ran a race, ran after his tail, played “dead 
dog,” jumped through a hoop, rolled over, and did 
numberless other antics. The most amusing was the 
“catch your tail,” running about in a circle, barking 
and growling, then turning about and running in the 





/ 


V 



High Living 


\ 


V 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


201 


other direction to unwind himself. The louder the 
applause and laughter, the faster he would go and the 
louder he would bark. 

At the end of each performance Sonny was given a 
treat. Duley had brought a box of chocolates with 
him and Sonny fared exceptionally well. He soon dis- 
covered who had them — Roxie, of course — and at the 
end of each performance he would trot over to her 
and with a bark would indicate that he was ready for 
his treat. 

After the show was over, Grandma and Roxie 
began clearing the dishes and preparing the evening 
lunch. Grandpa and Duley sauntered about the 
premises, taking a look at the belongings of the home- 
stead. George and William were staying close to 
the house watching what was going on there. What 
chicken was left was stripped off the bones and 
chicken salad prepared; a plate of ham sandwiches 
was prepared; some cream whipped; a pot of tea 
made and lowered into the well by means of a rope 
to be cold for supper. 


202 


SONNY 


The boys noticed that a couple of plates were being 
prepared and carried to the cellar. They rather 
guessed that these were to be a second evening lunch 
for a couple — Duley and Aunt Roxie. 

At five o’clock, lunch was served, after which 
Duley and Aunt Roxie went driving. Grandma and 
Grandpa were busy with the chores — the boys were 
busy too, but in another direction. 

They went to the cellar and found the two serves 
for the later lunch for Duley and Roxie. They found 
Grandma’s cayene pepper and spread this thick over 
the red lean of the ham in the sandwiches. The 
chicken salad was left undisturbed, for they were 
afraid the entire lunch would be shunned if it were all 
tampered with. The whipped cream was salted until 
bitter, and the top crust of the two pieces of apple pie 
were carefully raised and a spoonful of Grandma’s 
soft soap was carefully spread over the apples and the 
crust then allowed to come again to its original posi- 
tion. The boys then got the mustard can and poured 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


203 


some scalding water over it and made some mustard 
tea strong enough to take the lining from the stomach. 
The can of tea was raised from the well and practi- 
cally all of it thrown out and the mustard tea placed 
in its stead. 

The hoys then went across the field to their Uncle’s 
and visited until about nine o’clock. When they 
returned Grandma and Grandpa were in bed ; Duley 
and Roxie were building air castles in the parlor. The 
boys came in and made things merry with Sonny for a 
little while and then went upstairs to bed — that is, 
they were sup] 30 sed to be in bed. 

They got into their night dresses and instead of 
going to bed, they lay down on the floor with their 
ears over a register leading to the parlor (simply a 
register through the floor, allowing the warm air from 
the parlor to go to the upstairs bedroom to take the 
chill off in the extreme winter weather). Here they 
lay waiting for developments. Sonny, however, was 
curled up on the floor asleep. 


204 


SONNY 


William grew tired of the planning of Duley and 
Aunt Roxie for the wedding and he soon fell asleep on 
the floor. George, however, was determined to hear 
the fun and waited patiently until ten o’clock, when 
Aunt Roxie announced that it was lunch time. 
George awakened William and the two pairs of ears 
were waiting over the register for developments. 

Aunt Roxie prepared the parlor stand for the 
lunch. A hand drawn lunch cloth was the flrst article 
to appear in the preparation. Next came the two 
plates, each from the cellar, on which were two ham 
sandwiches and a serve of chicken salad, garnished 
with parsley ; two others had on them the pieces of pie 
doped with whipped cream ; a plate with several pieces 
of angel food cake was on one corner of the stand. A 
vase of lilies served as a centerpiece ; a pitcher of sweet 
milk, and one of tea completed the array and lunch 
was ready. 

‘‘Looks good to me,” said Duley. 

George gave William a nudge. 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


205 


“Well, I hope it’s as good as it looks, for I have 
done my best on this and if you do not like this kind 
of cooking you had better take back the ring and break 
the engagement.” 

William nudged George and giggled. 

“William, shut up your noise or you will spoil the 
whole thing the first thing you know!” said George, 
half fearing that his chuckle had been heard by the 
couple below. 

“Well,” continued Duley, “a person who can’t 
enjoy this couldn’t enjoy anthing. You may keep 
the ring.” 

Aunt Roxie was filling the glasses with milk and 
Duley took a few small bites about the edges of the 
sandwich and then took some of the chicken salad. By 
this time he had access to the center of the sandwich 
where a hot morsel awaited him. However, he had 
had already gotten a little of the pepper. 

“Golly, Roxie, they certainly used plenty of pep- 
per in curing that ham all right. Guess that what 


206 


SONNY 


William said about it being hotter before the day was 
over is right.” 

He grabbed for the glass of milk and swallowed 
all but the glass, holding the milk in his mouth between 
swallows to cool his smarting tongue. 

“Yes,” replied Roxie, “we always have trouble 
with Pa about the pepper. He usually puts in too 
much but he says it keeps the flies away.” 

“Well, there’s no flies on that, I can promise you.” 

Duley leaned back in his chair for a little chat. 

“Well, lloxie, I am somewhat surprised that those 
boys have been so quiet today. (Duley helped him- 
self with another glass of milk. ) I was rather expect- 
ing some mischief before the day was over.” 

“Well, I am sorry to see you disappointed, but I 
put it up to the boys to behave themselves or I would 
even up with them.” (Duley had another glass of 
milk. ) 

“Well, they certainly have behaved beautifully all 
day.” 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


207 


“How’s that, William?” asked George. 

Aunt Roxie had only been nibbling around the 
edges of her sandwich and had not struck the center 
where the pepper lay thick. Duley took another bite 
of sandwich out of the very heart and began to chew 
it. The pepper began to burn his mouth and he took 
a forkful of chicken salad too cool his tongue, but no 
avail. His mouth was on fire; his face flushed; the 
perspiration broke out over his forehead; the tears 
began to roll down his cheeks. He began to cough 
and choke with his mouth full. He could stand it no 
longer and he broke for the door where he unloaded 
his mouth of the hot morsel. 

“What in the world is the matter?” asked Aunt 
Rox, as she followed him to the door. Her embarrass- 
ment knew no bounds — she was mortified. Duley 
saw that he was the victim of a joke at the hands of 
the boys. 

“Say, Roxie, if you’re always going to make it this 
hot for me, I guess you had better give me my ring 
back, as you suggested.” 


208 


SONNY 


The boys heard it all and were convulsed. They 
were bursting to laugh out, but dared not. William 
couldn’t refrain and he covered his mouth with both 
hands and giggled. This brought a giggle from 
George. 

Duley and Aunt Roxie heard the laughter and 
guessed at once that there was a joke. As soon as 
Duley could get a breath, Aunt Roxie asked again : 

“What in the world is wrong?” 

“Just go in and taste your sandwich and you will 
see what is wrong.” 

Aunt Roxie went back to the stand and took the 
top layer of bread off the sandwich, but the red pepper 
had melted into the red color of the ham and nothing 
was visible ; she smelled it — nothing doing ; she ran her 
tongue over the ham to taste it. Duley gave her 
elbow a push and about an inch and a half of Aunt 
Roxie’s tongue lit in the center of the ham and pepper. 

That settled it! She ran for the door, coughing 
and choking and gasping for breath. 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


209 


“Bring me some milk, quick! I’m fainting.” 

George and William were in bed with their heads 
covered in the pillows after this, rolling and kicking 
and laughing. 

^Vhen Aunt Roxie gained her breath again, she 
and Duley agreed to say nothing more about it so the 
fun for the boys would be spoiled. 

“Those devilish boys!” said Duley. “That’s a 
good one. I should say it has warmed up since 
morning.” 

Aunt Roxie discarded the sandwiches, went to the 
cellar and returned with fresh bread and butter and 
made other sandwiches in their stead. These fur- 
nished relief and the chicken salad was finished. 

George and William resumed their places on the 
floor by the register to hear the finish. 

Angel food cake and milk was the next. 

“The first course must have been Devil’s cake, 
wasn’t it, Roxie?” 

“Well, if we are to judge by the temperature, I 
suppose it was,” she replied. 


14 


210 


SONNY 


The delicious cake had a soothing effect upon the 
smarting tongues and mouths. 

Duley then mustered fresh courage and began on 
the apple pie with the whipped cream dope. 

“Roxie, you know that I am long on apple pie 
with whipped cream. Is this piece all you have?” 

“Plenty more where this came from,” she replied. 

Duley cut off the end of the pie and began chew- 
ing. He detected the cream bitter with salt but was 
determined to swallow it — and he did. (The last 
glass of milk followed. ) He cut off a second bite and 
began chewing. The soft soap in the pie began to 
froth, and the salt in the cream began to irritate his 
mouth. He began to squirm and gag and a look of 
despair stole over him. He glared, he stared, and he 
grabbed for air — and he swallowed it. 

Aunt Roxie was beside herself — horrified and 
mortified — and cried out : 

“My goodness, Duley, what’s the matter now?” 

“Oh my! Oh my! my stomach! I’m soft soaped 
for sure and salted down besides.” 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


211 


Aunt Roxie in despair, grabbed the glass of sup- 
posed tea and said : 

“Take this tea quick, it will make you feel better.” 

He fairly snatched it from her and before he 
stopped to taste it, drained the glass to the bottom. 

“Roxie! Roxie! Oh my! That isn’t tea at all! I’m 
poisoned! I’m dying! That’s something else. Oh 
my ! My stomach ! Help ! Help me to the door.” 

Aunt Roxie helped him to the door where Duley 
leaned over the banister of the porch and the stomach 
yielded up its contents. 

This relieved the situation. IVlien Duley revived 
sufficiently, he said: 

“Those DEVILISH BOYS!” 

George and William could hold in no longer. 
They roared. 

Duley said to Aunt Roxie, “I’m going upstairs 
and get those fellows and you can hold them under the 
pump and I’ll give them a cool shower bath.” 

The boys heard this and they piled into bed. The 


212 


SONNY 


stair door opened with a rattle that awakened Sonny. 
Duley rushed up the stairs, got one knee on the bed 
and Sonny landed on the tail of his cut-away coat. 
This scared Duley stiff and he started for the stairs. 
Sonny was growling and shaking the coat tail and 
Duley yelling for help. Duley missed his footing on 
the stair, and he, dog and all went tumbling down 
stairs and landed in a pile on the landing with his heels 
taking a final smash at the door. 

This raised the whole household. Grandpa rolled 
over in bed and exclaimed : 

“Rose Ann! Something has happened.” 

Sonny went back up stairs carrying something in 
his mouth. Duley gathered himself up and went 
limping across the parlor. A crest began to puff up 
on his forehead; one leg and arm was hurt and the 
entire tail of his coat ripped off at the waist. Grandpa 
and Grandma came tearing out in their night gowns 
and George and William joined the party all eagerly 
trying to learn what happened. 


THE COST OF HIGH LIVING 


213 


Duley turned to Roxie and said: 

“This has certainly been a warm day!” 

“Well, of all things, Duley,” said Grandma, as 
she sized up the wreck. “It will never do for you to 
go home in this plight. I’ll fix you up first, and get 
you to bed and in the morning I’ll fix your coat.” 

Grandma went to the cellar and got a couple of 
large potatoes. These she scraped and made into a 
poultice which she tied over the lump on his forehead. 
She then got the liniment for his arm and leg and a 
dose from her bitters bottle put him ready for bed. 

The guest chamber was put in readiness and Duley 
turned lose to rest for the night. Order was finally 
restored and the household retired for the rest of the 
night. 



'7n short to awake 

The heroic of youth from the hades of joy, 
And once more be, though but for an hour 
Jack — a boyJ’ 


—Owen Meredith. 




















CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 


THE VILLAGE SCHOOL 

The next morning found things at the homestead 
in fairly good shape. Duley came out feeling remark- 
ably well — all things considered. The potato poul- 
tice had taken the inflammation out of the bump on his 
forehead and was scarcely noticeable. The bitters 
had toned up his stomach and the liniment had taken 
the soreness out of his leg and arm. All in all, he was 
pretty much the Mr. Humingbee the boys had met the 
day before at the quarterly meeting — all but the coat. 

While Aunt Roxie was preparing breakfast, 
Grandpa, the boys and Duley were about caring for 
the chores and Grandma was busy on the coat. When 
breakfast was called, Duley ’s coat looked as if it had 
just come from the tailor’s shop. It was not until 
breakfast that Grandpa and Grandma learned of the 
cause of the uproar of the night before. 


217 


218 


SONNY 


‘‘Does beat all what boys will think of,” said 
Grandpa. “But I tell you, Duley, we have made it 
a rule around here to smile and look sweet at every- 
thing that happens. But the toughest proposition 
that we have to deal with around here is to find out 
who’s to blame for all that is happening.” 

Grandma broke in at this point and Grandpa gave 
Duley the wink. 

“Well, now. Jack, the boys are not to blame for 
what happened the lunch. We had no business to go 
away and leave the lunch where they could find it. 
And as far as the coat goes. Sonny was not to blame 
for he probably thought that he was doing his duty in 
watching and caring for the boys.” 

“Duley, what do you think of that for an argu- 
ment?” asked Grandpa, as the Yankee smile lighted 
up his face. 

“Well,” replied Duley, “there seems to be good 
logic in her reasoning but it’s all a joke anyway, and 
a good one too, and I shall not forget soon what a 
warm day it was.” 


THE VILLAGE SCHOOL 


219 


'‘Boys,” continued Diiley, “what are you planning 
for today?” 

“Not much doing today,” answered George, witli 
a suppressed smile. “We’re just going to visit the 
school with Louis and Sanford. School opens today 
and that won’t amount to much.” 

“AVell, we will be better able to tell what it 
amounts to this evening,” replied Grandpa. “But I 
tell you, boys, I wouldn’t get into mischief up there, 
for that old professor that they have hired for the 
upper room has a frightful record as a disciplinarian, 
and he was hired to clean things out up there. He 
gets hot at the slightest provocation.” 

“Well, Grandpa,” answered George, “the only 
thing to do when a man gets hot is to cool him off.” 

After breakfast George and William started for 
their two cousins, with whom they were to visit the 
school, and early as seven thirty o’clock the four boys 
were in the road for school. Louis was fifteen and 
had a pretty level head on him and he proceeded to 
give the other three some advice. 


220 


SONNY 


“Now, boys, it will never do for us to get into any 
kind of a mixup today. Those three fellows that we 
trimmed up a few days ago will be there. They 
always try out a new teacher and all that we will have 
to do is to lay low and watch for the fun. Just as 
sure as anything happens, they will be blamed for it, 
and we must not get mixed up with them, for as sure 
as we do we are into trouble.” 

“That’s all right,” replied George, with a look of 
disgust, “but what are you going to do if they try to 
start something?” 

“Well, George,” continued Louis, ‘'just bear in 
mind what I tell you and don’t get mixed up in any 
trouble with them. They will not bother us any 
today for they will be more interested in the new pro- 
fessor than anyone else.” 

The boys kept up a spirited argument until they 
came to the school house. This to George and William 
was an object of much interest. The well 
appointed, modern buildings, to which they were 


THE VILLAGE SCHOOL 


221 


accustomed in their city schools was a sharp contrast 
to the one in the village. This was a two story frame 
building ; it had been painted — long ago ; here and 
there was a split weatherboard and occasionally the 
lower half of the board gone entirely. The English 
sparrows had adorned the cornice with nests which, 
with strings and feathers fluttering to the breeze, did 
anything but enhance the beauty of the building. The 
door was double, one half of which was secured inside 
with a heavy nail ; the lock had gone to hunt the miss- 
ing weatherboards and had been replaced by an ordi- 
nary padlock, hasp and staple. Entering here, the 
wall was scrolled over with red and white crayon, 
pencil marks, bits of poetry, crude drawings, names, 
uncouth rhymes, and so forth, until scarcely enough 
room was left to inscribe the name of the new pro- 
fessor. The railing leading up the stair had fallen 
victim of the jack knife and was hand carved. The 
upper hall was but a repetition of the lower. Over the 
middle of the upper hall was a large opening fully 


222 


SONNY 


five feet square. The covering had long since given way 
to the pranks of the ‘‘big boys” and, accordingly, the 
belfry was in full view. Here hung a monstrous 
bell, the pride of the villagers. Originally it had been 
used on one of the large steam boats on the Mississippi 
river. One of the leading citizens of the village had 
secured it and had it placed in the school building. 
Every youngster knew the history of this bell and 
many had climbed to the beams on which it hung and 
covered the inside with inscriptions. There was a 
metal frame supporting it, which rested upon two 
massive beams extending across the belfry. Its peals 
had a touch of sadness in them to nearly every boy in 
the village. 

The door leading to the upper room was entered 
and this presented a scene in keeping with those 
through which the boys had passed. A patch of plas- 
tering had fallen upon the professor’s desk. The 
rain had run down the stove pipe and consequently a 
good coat of rust presented an attractive spectacle. 


THE VILLAGE SCHOOL 


223 


The stove door had a broken hinge and was held in 
place by the iron handled shovel being leaned against 
it. The lower part of the bowl was cracked half way 
around, nothing remained of the ash pan but the 
front. A few erasers, a couple empty crayon boxes, 
the wreck of a map of the world, and a battered globe 
constituted the equipment. 

The seats were hand made and hand carved, made 
by the same village carpenters who had constructed 
the church pews, likewise the professor’s desk and 
mission chair. 

As George and William entered and took a per- 
spective view they were not a little surprised at the 
surroundings. They witnessed several scuffles between 
the boys over choice of seats, and noticed that muscle 
was the last resort in selection — the stronger element 
securing the seats they desired. The choice of seats 
having been made, the play grounds was the next 
object of interest. This had grown wild with dog 
fennel, ragweed and cockle burr; but a ball diamond 
was soon mapped out and a game started. 


224 


SONNY 


At nine o’clock the bell tolled out the doleful tid- 
ings that operations in the sprouting room were ready 
to begin. Every youngster was in his seat ready for 
the opening exercises and nothing developed in the 
forenoon session out of the ordinary. Classes were 
selected by those present, and at ten o’clock school was 
dismissed to allow time during the noon recess to 
secure books and supplies. 

The school house was cleared in a few minutes, 
each youngster carrying with him a slip of paper with 
such books and supplies listed on same as in the judg- 
ment of the pupils they needed most. The whole 
school at once proceeded to the store on the corner 
for their books and then went home to dinner. 

George and William and the two cousins retraced 
their steps from the store to the school house on their 
trip home to dinner. They stopped at the 
school house to see the center of learning in its 
silent grandeur. Not a soul was near — not even the 
janitor, for this centered in the professor, and he had 



t 


I ' 


.1 


« 



I 


< I 






“Come on, Professor, we’ll help you home.’’ 



THE VILLAGE SCHOOL 


225 


gone to dinner. The boys got their heads together 
and took desperate chanee for some fun. 

One proposed turning the bell up and balancing it 
in this position and then filling it with water. There 
was no time to be lost and at it they went. One 
climbed to the beams and balanced the bell, as the 
other three pulled it into position with the rope over 
the wheel. Eight or nine buckets of water were then 
drawn and emptied into the bell and the boys made 
their escape unobserved by anyone. The secret was 
all their own. 

They rushed home for dinner and hurried back to 
watch for developments. Boys began to assemble 
and a game of cricket was started. The professor 
proposed to play strong with the school boys and he 
too joined the game. It had the desired effect. Five 
minutes before one o’clock, he called out: 

“Come on, boys, it’s time for school.” 

The whole bunch followed at his heels and crowded 
up the stair. The professor was an inveterate smoker. 


226 


SONNY 


and in the excitement of the ball game he had forgot- 
ten to throw the stub of his cigar away. He ran 
upstairs and swung on the bell rope. The half barrel 
of water, added to the weight of the ponderous bell, 
made it slow to swing from its position. But it had 
started. The professor leaned back to look up to see 
what was wrong just as the deluge struck him. He 
was dazed. The girls screamed ; the boys roared ; the 
professor gurgled, he gasped, he glared, and in the 
midst of it all swallowed the stub of his cigar. He 
was drenched from the crown of his head to the soles 
of his feet. He reeled and staggered and fanned the 
air frantically for breath; this came with a wheeze and 
gurgle, and he then grabbed his throat, then his 
stomach, for the cigar stub began at once to start 
trouble. 

Some of the boys mustered courage and voluntered 
assistance. They stripped him of his coat and vest 
and hung them across a chair in the sun to dry and 
then helped him to his chair. Into this he sank limp 


THE VILLAGE SCHOOL 


227 


and pale for a rest, while the pupils went to their seats, 
stuffing handkerchiefs into their mouths to keep back 
the laughter. Instead of gaining his equilibrium, the 
cigar stub was getting in its work, and he grew steadily 
worse. He became deathly white; his eyes stared; 
he clasped his stomach, with the exclamation : 

“Oh my! I’m so sick, I’m so sick! Boys, help 
me to the door wffiere I may get some fresh air.” 

The boys flocked to his assistance and helped him 
to the adjoining church yard. He was no better. He 
lay down under the shade of a large tree. He grew 
dizzy and soon the whole world was flying about him 
in a circle. He said he must go to his room. He 
tried to stand, but he only went sprawling and 
grabbed hold of the grass to keep from falling off. 

“Oh, if I could only get relief! Death would be 
better than this. If I could only die!” 

“Oh, no, professor,” said Sanford, “that wouldn’t 
do at all. You will be better by morning. You are 
just now going through what I experienced with my 


228 


SONNY 


first chew of tobacco which my father gave me. He 
told me to swallow the spit and I did. I can truly 
sympathize with you, but you will be better as soon 
as you part company with the cigar stub. Come on, 
Professor, we will help you home.” 

The two pairs of cousins and other boys helped 
him to his feet. He ordered school closed for the 
remainder of the day and with the aid of the boys 
made his way up the village street where the inhabi- 
tants came out as the professor went by. George car- 
ried his coat, William, his watch and vest, while Louis 
and Sanford braced him up as he went along. They 
took him to his room, called a physician, and then 
excused themselves. 

The professor thanked the boys for their services 
and told George and William to come to school again 
for he was always glad to see such bright faces in 
school. 

The boys left him alone in his glory and started 
down the street. They stopped at the post office for 


THE VILLAGE SCHOOL 


229 


the mail and Squire Hopkins asked about what had 
happened. 

‘‘Well,” replied Louis, “during the noon recess 
some of the boys tipped the bell bottom side up and 
filled it with water and when the professor tried to ring 
it the water very nearly drowned the old codger, and 
he swallowed the stub of his cigar which he had in his 
mouth, and it went back on him.” 

“Well, if that isn’t the latest one,” said the Squire, 
with a shake of his head, “that is some more work of 
those boys that you fellows trimmed up the other 
day.” 

“Boys, that was the best job you ever did, but if 
those fellows are not stopped, they will come to some 
bad end.” 

The boys put the mail under their arms and started 
home. Near the rock where they had had their battle, 
a large black snake lay full length across the dusty 
road. 

“Hold on now, boys,” said Louis, “here’s a chance 


for some more fun.” 


230 


SONNY 


George grabbed a stone, Sanford a stick, but 
Louis cried: 

“Hold on! Wait! Here’s my knife. We’ll cut 
some long whips and whip it to death and then have 
some more fun.” 

“Not any of that for mine,” said William. The 
shivers were playing hide and seek up his back bone. 

“Well, you can stay away,” said Louis, “and we 
will whip it to death and if we don’t have a circus at 
school tomorrow, you’ll have to show me.” 

Louis, Sanford and George each secured a long 
whip and went out to battle. 

“Now, George,” cried William, “that may be a 
blue racer and if it is it will take after you and wrap 
you up and squeeze you to death. I will climb up on 
the fence.” 

But the boys proceeded to the skirmish. One 
struck the snake about midway between the head and 
tail, and it began at once to coil up for a leap. 

“Look out there, George,” shouted William from 
the top of the fence, “it’s going to jump.” 


THE VILLAGE SCHOOL 


231 


But all three whips began to play upon the snake 
and he was out of commission in a short time. 

‘‘Come on, William,” shouted George, “it won’t 
hurt you now. It’s dead.” 

“No, it ain’t,” answered William, “for a snake’s 
tail don’t die until after sun down.” 

“Well a snake’s tail won’t hurt you,” shouted 
George. “Come on.” 

“I won’t either. You fellows can throw it in the 
bushes and I will climb over in the fields and go 
around.” 

The boys dragged it to the road side and Louis hid 
it, for he was coming back after supper. William 
walked about the snake, keeping far enough away 
from the fence to be safe. 

That evening at supper. Grandpa asked the boys 
how they got along at school. He was tickled over 
the day’s outcome, but, of course, no one found out 
who did it — simply some bad boys. But Grandpa 
had a good guess coming on the subject. 



“Haste thee, my nymph, and bring ivith thee 
Jest and youthful jolity. 

Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles 
Nods and becks and wreathed smiles ” 


— Milton. 


'»V 



CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 


PRESTO 

As soon as breakfast was over, George and 
William started for their Unele’s to go with Louis 
and Sanford for another day at the village sehool. In 
the meantime, someone had been busy, but to this day 
not more than two boys know who. 

The evening before, their Uncle’s big rooster had 
disappeared; the snake was gone — no one knew where. 

“Boys,” said Louis, “I wouldn’t be afraid to bet a 
dollar that the snake is coiled up in some desk at school 
and the rooster is hid under the back seat.” 

“Go ’way!” said William, with a look of disgust. 
“Do you take us for a wheat?” 

“Well, funny things happen anyway,” said Louis. 

“Well, what would keep a rooster under a seat 
anyway?” asked William. 


236 


SONNY 


“Why, didn’t you notice how those seats were 
made?” answered Louis. “The back seats, you see, 
have no desk to them and they sit clear back against 
the wall. The sides are all boarded in and all anyone 
would have to do is to set a board in front of it and our 
rooster couldn’t get away if anyone was to put him 
under there.” 

“Well, that’s all right, but how could a dead snake 
get coiled up in someone’s desk?” 

Louis never cracked a smile through it all, and 
George was serious. 

As they drew near the play grounds they saw a 
ball game was on and they all started on the trot to 
take a whirl at the sport. 

About twenty minutes to nine George spied Sonny 
jcoming on their track. Grandma had gone to the 
oats bin for oats for the chickens. She swung the 
door open and Sonny popped out. She called and 
tried to get him back, but he struck the trail of the 
boys and he was off — first to the Uncle’s and then to 


PRESTO 


237 


school. The rhymes and parodies on “Mary’s Little 
Lamb” began to sing out at once, for everyone no’W 
knew Sonny. 

Sonny found George and William and the game 
of ball went on. Sonny soon got his eye on the ball 
and he grabbed it the first opportunity and 
ran with it in his mouth to George. George 
leaned over and Sonny played leap frog. There was 
a string of boys formed and Sonny went the whole 
length. This performance settled it once and for all 
so far as Sonny and the town boys were concerned. 
He was at once the whole works in the dog line. The 
professor became interested and stuck his head out of 
the upstairs window to watch the performance. Sonny 
was made to do all he knew, and all kinds of offers 
were made George and William for Sonny. The pro- 
fessor even came down stairs to pat him on the head. 

As the professor came out of the door, Louis 
greeted him with : 

“Good morning, professor, how are you feeling 
this morning?” 


238 


SONNY 


“Oh, I am all right today, thank you,” he replied. 

“Glad to see you looking so well today, you cer- 
tainly looked sick yesterday,” continued Louis. 

“Yes,” replied the professor, “and I was just as 
sick as I looked. I do not care for any more such 
experiences.” 

But the professor was not the center of attraction. 
Sonny was the Avliole show and was going the rounds, 
panting from the vigorous exercise. 

“Well,” said George, “I will have to take Sonny 
back to Grandma’s.” 

“No, don’t do that,” shouted a dozen boys, “let him 
stay here. We can shut him in the coal house until 
recess and we can have some more fun with him.” 

“No, that won’t do,” replied George, “he would 
bark his head off and disturb the whole school.” 

“Take him up stairs and we won’t bother him a 
bit,” shouted the youngsters. 

“Well, boys,” said the professor turning to George 
and William, “if he will lie down and not disturb any- 
one, you can bring him inside.” 


PRESTO 


239 


“He won’t bother a soul if he’s let alone,” said 
George. “He will lie down and bother no one.” 

The professor rang the bell and school began. 
George and William were given a back seat in the 
corner and Sonny curled up under the seat for a 
snooze. 

The professor used the time until the morning 
recess in trying to find out who put the water in the 
bell the day before. He prefaced his investigation 
with the remark timt George and William, nor Louis 
and Sanford could not have been mixed up in it, for 
they had so far to go into the country that they could 
not possibly have had anything to do with it. Every 
other fellow in school was on the floor answering to 
the charge of having been connected in some way with 
the doings. Not a thing developed. 

Sonny was never heard from, except an occas- 
sional long breath and an occasional scratch for the 
flees that were inhabiting his long coat. 

After recess as the pupils came back into school. 


240 


SONNY 


George noticed that a board closed the opening under 
the last seat of the middle aisle. He nudged William 
and said in a whisper : 

“I’ll bet that Uncle Bill’s rooster is in there.” 

He noticed too that two of the boys whom they had 
trimmed up occupied that seat. Sonny curled up for 
another snooze. 

Things had scarcely settled down to quiet when 
one of the boys in the center aisle pulled his geography 
out of his desk, and with it a huge black snake 
which began slipping down one of his legs to the floor. 

“Snakes! Snakes!” he yelled at the top of his 
voice in deadly terror, and jumped to his feet. He 
kicked over the board in the back of his seat in his 
scramble and out flopped Mr. Rooster. 

Pandemonium broke loose. The girls screamed 
and mounted the tops of the desks, holding their 
skirts tight about their knees. Sonny gave a bark and 
took after the rooster. The boys yelled to “sick him 
on the snake.” In a minute he was shaking the snake 


PRESTO 


241 


and walking backwards up the aisle toward the 
Professor’s desk. He broke and ran in another di- 
rection for the door, at a pace that straightened out 
the tail of his coat flat enough to have played marbles 
on. A score of boys were after him, all tearing for the 
play ground. 

Sonny did not stop until he was in the front hall 
with the snake, where it lay — dead, of course. What 
boys remained in the school house cornered the 
rooster and caught him. Louis took the poker and 
got it under the snake and tossed it out the front 
window, and the Professor ventured back upstairs, 
fully as pale as the day before when he swallowed the 
cigar stub. 

“Sit down, girls,” said the Professor, “the snake 
is gone.” 

“Yes, but may be there are more snakes in our 
desks,” replied half a dozen. 

“Can’t possibly be. I think you are safe,” he 
replied. 


16 


242 


SONNY 


But the girls did not get down. Louis suggested 
that the Professor look through the girls’ desks to sat- 
isfy them. The Professor, however, had other very 
pressing business to attend to and told Louis that he 
might examine the desks and satisfy them. 

One by one the desks were emptied but never a 
snake was seen. William and George had stood 
game through it all and did not leave the room. How- 
ever, William had all the school that he wanted and 
told George that he was going home to Grandma’s 
with Sonny. George was also satisfied with the affair 
as it stood and he and William told the Professor 
that they would go home to Grandma’s and take 
Sonny along. 

“Well, boys,” said the Professor, laying his hands 
on each of their shoulders, “I don’t know how we could 
have gotten along without Sonny today. He cer- 
tainly finished the snake on short notice. Come back 
and see us again and you may bring Sonny along.” 

The boys went down the stairs cautiously and 


PRESTO 


243 


William was expecting to see snakes poking their 
heads out of every crack or crevice, and not until they 
were in sight of Grandma’s did he feel a sense of 
security. 

At dinner Grandpa was anxious to know how the 
day had turned out. 

“Wliy, Grandpa,” said William excitedly, '‘I 
never have seen such carryin’ on’s in my life as they 
have up there. Why yesterday those bad boys 
nearly drowned the Professor and he swallowed his 
cigar, and today there was a rooster penned up under 
one of the seats and a snake in one of the desks, and 
a boy pulled it out in his lap and it scared the boys 
and girls and the professor nearly to death. Gee! 
I never did see such a time as that, and George and 
I came home.” 

“Well, my gracious. Jack!” exclaimed Grandma 
with a shake of her head, “what are things coming 
to any way? I thought they got that new Professor 
to straighten things out up to school. If things keep 


244 


SONNY 


going on as they have been he won’t last the first 
week.” 

“Don’t know a thing about it, Rose Ann. You 
know just as much about it as I do, for all I have 
I’ve got from the boys and they were there and saw 
it all.” 

“Well, things are starting off worse than ever. I 
was hoping that we would have a good school this 
Winter, for Louis wants to get so he can pass the 
county examination next Spring and get to teaching.” 

“Well, Rose Ann, things may settle down after 
a while.” 

“If you had seen things this morning up there,” 
said William, “you would have thought that thej 
never would settle down. Is there something like 
that going on all the time. Grandpa?” 

“No, not all the time. We have had good schools 
here until about three years ago when they let a good 
teacher get away simply because they wouldn’t pay 
him twenty-five cents a day more. Since he has gone. 


PRESTO 


245 


tilings have been going high handed and the pupils 
have been fooling their time away. Better to have 
been at home to work.” 

“Well, we got all we wanted of it, and George 
and I came home.” 

“Well, boys, what are you going to do this after- 
noon?” asked Grandpa. 

“We haven’t made out a program yet,” replied 
George; “but we will try and get busy.” 

“Well,” continued Grandpa, “I’m going to mill 
this afternoon, and if you want to you can go along.” 

“All right. Grandad, guess that’s about our size.” 

Grandpa and the two boys went to the barn and 
filled up two bags of wheat, some oats, and corn for 
chop feed. Old Gin was hooked to the spring wagon 
and the party was off. 

It was a trip long to be remembered by the boys. 
The mill was of the old type burr. The power was 
supplied by the old-fashioned water wheel, which 
up to this time had only been fiction to the boys. 


246 


SONNY 


They were from the top to the bottom, examining 
every nook and corner and plying questions thick and 
fast. The ponderous wheel which the water poured 
over was of no little interest and they sat and mused 
over it, watching the water coming from the placid 
race being transformed into a whirling, splashing 
rapid as it left the wheel and flowed on down the 
valley. About four o’clock Grandpa called to the 
boys that he was ready to go home. 

At supper George and William had a graphic 
description of the afternoon’s outing, which they 
regarded as the most interesting of any up-to-date. 

After supper William began to take an inventory 
of Grandma’s bric-a-brac and other objects of interest 
here and there about the house. Coming across the 
bust of Lincoln, he asked: 

“Grandma, what it that?” pointing to the bust. 

“Why, William,” answered Grandma with some 
degree of surprise, “that’s a bust of Lincoln.” 

“No, Grandma, you’re wrong. You must not say 
bust; you must say burst.” 


PRESTO 


247 


“No, William,” continued Grandma, “bust is all 
right in this case.” 

“No,” protested William, “my teacher told me 
never to say bust — always say burst, and she knows.” 

“Well, what else did your teacher tell you?” 

“Oh, whole lots of things! She talks too much. 
She just talks all the time, as if she was wound up 
and couldn’t run down, and I don’t remember much 
about what she says. She was talking about Christ- 
mas and New Years and Washington’s birthday and 
Easter and everything else.” 

“Do you remember what they are about now?” 

“Yes, all but one.” 

“What was that?” 

“I can’t remember what God did on the 4th of 
July.” 

Grandma set about to straighten out William on 
his national and religious festal days, and congratu- 
lated herself that by bed time she regarded him well 
up in this particular direction. 


248 


SONNY 


“Well, boys,” said Grandpa, changing the topic 
slightly, “the squirrel law comes in tomorrow and I 
want a mess of squirrels. My old gun is a double 
barrel and is a good one for a muzzle loader, for they 
can’t get so high in a tree that you can’t get them.” 

That set George off. He was long on gunning 
and shooting and he began at once to spin his yarns 
about what he could do. He put it so strong that 
Grandpa grew skeptical, though he did not say any- 
thing in reply. He chose to see what he could do the 
next day. George and William were in bed early to 
get a good night’s rest before the next day’s outing. 


reverend hat! — sublime mid all 


The minor felts that round the grovel.” 


— Moore. 




CHAPTER NINETEEN. 


CROSSED WIRES. 

Before day break the boys were waiting on break- 
fast, eager for the outing. They were cleaning the 
gun, getting amunition ready, the hunting coat 
mended and matters in general set about. Sonny was 
on hand wagging his tail and panting for he knew 
what the gun meant. 

So far as the boys were concerned they had had 
but very little experience. They inherited a love for 
fire arms and woods but at this time they had a whole 
lot to learn about hunting. 

After breakfast George shouldered the gun 
and the two started off. Sonny was very much in evi- 
dence. However, the forenoon was not very success- 
ful, so far as capturing game was concerned. Sonny 

went tearing through the woods barking and making 
251 


252 


SONNY 


enough noise to scare every squirrel out of the county, 
and, as a result, the boys never saw a thing in the 
squirrel line to shoot at. They did plenty of shooting, 
however, but when the bell rang for dinner they 
started for home empty handed. 

Grandpa gave them the laugh when he saw them 
coming and said to George : 

“You couldn’t hit a ballon.” 

“Got anything to bet on that. Grandpa?” asked 
George. 

“I’ll bet my plug hat against a straw hat each for 
you and William that you can’t hit my hat across the 
road,” replied Grandpa, as a Yankee smile lighted up 
his face. 

“I’ll take the bet,” said George, “and we’ll settle 
it after dinner as to who gets the hats.” 

“I wouldn’t be afraid to put my plug hat on a 
post and let you shoot at it across the road,” continued 
Grandpa. 

“Well, you better not do that,” said George, “or 


CROSSED WIRES 


253 


you will have to buy a new plug hat and our straw 
hats besides.” 

“I’ll chance it,” said Grandpa. “At any rate, 
put the gun in the pantry until after dinner and we’ll 
pull off the bet.” 

George was confident he would have some fun. 
He put the gun in the pantry and after dinner the 
boys took a snooze on the front porch while Grandpa 
fed the horses. When Grandpa came back from the 
barn he slipped into the pantry and pulled the shot 
from both barrels of the gun but left the powder 
undisturbed. Grandma then asked him to go to the 
orchard for a basket of apples and she then told 
George what Grandpa had done with the gun, for she 
did not care much if George was accurate as a marks- 
man and tore the hat to pieces for she wanted him to 
have a new one anyway. 

George was tickled all over in spots. He rushed 
for the gun and replaced a charge and a half of shot 
in each barrel and then resumed his place on the 


254 


SONNY 


porch. Grandpa returned with the apples and called 
to George; 

“Come on now, boys, get the gun and let’s see 
who has to buy the hats.” 

George bounded up and got the gun and Grandpa 
produced the plug hat shining bright as a new dollar. 
Grandpa put it on top of a post across the road and 
George took his stand. George got ready but turned 
around to William and said: 

“William, this is a shame.” 

“What’s a shame, George?” asked Grandpa. 

“Why, to spoil that nice hat. Get an old one.” 

“Never mind the old one. You’re backing down 
on the bet.” 

“Oh, no. Grandpa, not me, but I hate to spoil 
your good hat.” 

“Show me!” said Grandpa. 

“Do you really mean it. Grandpa?” 

“Why, certainly I do.” 

“And you won’t get mad if I hit it?” 


CROSSED WIRES 


255 


“Certainly I won’t and I’ll get you and William 
the straw hats and I’ll throw in a new dress for 
Grandma if you hit it.” 

“Gee! Grandma, here’s where we all shine.” 

“Hold on, George,” said Grandpa, “before you 
shoot I want to tell you something. Never bet on a 
man’s own game. You’ll lose every time. Now to 
show you that I am right I can tell you right now that 
you will lose the bet but it will be a lesson to you in 
the future.” 

“Well, how would it be to take some of that 
advice to yourself. Grandpa?” asked George. “Any 
old time you catch me betting on a man’s own game 
just let me know. I did that at the County Fair last 
Fall and got fleeced out of all my spending money 
for three months. That cured me.” 

“Well, here’s where you lose again,” said Grandpa. 
“I don’t like to take your money.” 

“Don’t let that bother your conscience any. 


Grandpa.” 


256 


SONNY 


George leveled the gun and said: 

“I hate to do it, but here goes.” 

‘^Shut the other eye, George,” said Grandpa, as 
he winked at Grandma who was on hand to see the 
fun. 

“Never mind the other eye,” said George, “y^^ 
just keep your eye on the hat.” 

George let both barrels go into the hat which 
went rolling into the field beyond. George and 
William and Grandma roared. Grandpa was com- 
pletely taken down and exclaimed: 

“Well, Rose Ann, what do you think of that? 
Well, if that don’t beat me! Why, there ain’t enough 
left of that hat to tell the story.” 

It was amusing even to Grandpa to see how he 
had been outwitted by the boys, notwithstanding the 
fact that he prized the hat very highly. William went 
across the road and secured the hat, coming back with 
it on his head. The whole crown was shattered and 
riddled for George was not over forty feet from it 
when he shot it. 


CROSSED WIRES 


257 


Grandpa smiled when he saw it and said: 

“Well, Rose Ann, put on your things and we will 
all go to town and I’ll pay the bet.” 

George, William and Grandpa went to the barn 
to get the horse and spring wagon ready for town and 
Grandma, laughing over the affair, hurried to change 
her garb for the village. 

Inasmuch as it was all a joke on Grandpa he 
proposed to carry it a little farther. He put on the 
remnants of the plug hat and wore them to the 
village. While there, he had as much fun telling the 
Squire and his political friends how he had been out- 
witted as George and William had with the shooting. 

Grandma and the two boys went to the store for 
the hats and new dress. This was also central for 
the telephone company and the operator frequently 
helped out in the store. The proprietor was away at 
this particular time and accordingly the operator was 
waiting on Grandma. 

A switchboard was a new one for William. He 


17 


258 


SONNY 


knew all about the practical uses of the telephone but 
the switchboard was an object of no little interest. 
He got busy at once and began to amuse himself by 
pulling out and pushing in the pins in their recep- 
tacles. He found the peculiar little receiver worn by 
the operator and he soon began to get interested in 
what was going on over the wires. One voice he found 
to be that of Aunt Roxie, who had remained at home, 
talking to a lady friend who had attended a dance the 
week before, and Aunt Rox was telling her friend 
about Duley’s experience. This, however, was ancient 
history to William. He heard two other women talk- 
ing; one proved to be the wife of a veterinary surgeon 
and the other a livery man’s wife. But William soon 
tired of this and began to amuse himself by playing 
with the plugs in the switchboard. He forgot which 
holes they were in and unconsciously he got Aunt Rox 
connected with the veterinary surgeon’s wife, and her 
friend with the livery man’s wife, and with but very 
little interruption in the conversation the two young 


CROSSED WIRES 


259 


ladies were soon confronted with some very remark- 
able developments. The livery man’s wife was 
talking. 

“No, John hasn’t been worth a thing since he went 
to the dance with the load.” 

“Why, how’s that? He danced with the girls all 
evening and was in the best of spirits.” 

“Yes, that’s just it! Girls haven’t a bit of sense. 
Just because he was feeling good and a good looker 
and is a clever actor they wouldn’t let him rest a 
minute and now he’s, I’m afraid, a wreck.” 

“Oh, no, that can’t be. But talking about his 
being a good looker! I should say he is. He’s a 
joker — he simply captivated every person at the 
dance.” 

“Yes, and how about his action? Did you notice 
how he handled his feet? There is no ‘paddle’ in his 
gait. And that knee action! Did you ever see any- 
thing to equal it?” 

“Never have seen anything like it.” 


260 


SONNY 


‘‘Yes, and to think that he is practically ruined for 
life — ^all for one evening’s foolishness — is simply a 
shame.” 

“Why, what is the matter with him?” 

“Well, it might be an easier answer to tell you 
what isn’t wrong with him than to describe his ail- 
ments. To begin with, his legs are all swollen and 
we have them bandaged and rub them frequently with 
the strongest liniment that we can find. The knee 
joints seem to be affected more than the rest of his 
legs. Then his eyes are bloodshot and he is running 
at the nose and his hair is all ruffled and he is simply a 
horrible looking object. We think he has the pink 
eye. Tell your husband to come over and see him as 
soon as he returns.” 

“mat? My husband!” 

“Certainly, who else would we get?” 

“Well, that’s a joke. Of course, you know, Roxie, 
I’m doing all I can to land one but up to date I 
haven’t succeeded.” 


CROSSED WIRES 


261 


“Roxie! Don’t you know who you are talking 
to?” 

“Well, I think I do. I called 132-L and that’s 
your number all right.” 

“Well, I should say not!” 

“Well, for heaven’s sake! Haven’t I been talking 
to Roxie at all?” 

“Well, I don’t know whom you have been talking 
to but you are not talking to her now.” 

“Well, who is at this phone, at any rate?” 

“Oh, well, never mind now. Don’t get agitated, 
I shall not divulge any of your secrets at all.” 

“Well, who are you and what are you talking 
about?” 

“Why, this is Mrs. O’Toole, the livery man’s wife, 
and I was talking about the horse that went in the 
team to the dance.” 

“Well, that’s different. This is Miss Honecomb 
and I was talking about a handsome young fellow that 
I met at the dance. We must have gotten switched 
off some way.” 


262 


SONNY 


With Aunt Rox the mixup was even worse. She 
had been telling her friend of Duley’s troubles and 
the condition his stomach was in from the lunch that 
he tried to put away. It was at this point that Wil- 
liam had connected her with the veterinary surgeon’s 
wife. The veterinary surgeon’s wife was talking. 

“Yes, that’s too bad. They just called the doctor 
over this morning as he was suffering with acute indi- 
gestion, resulting from an overfeed which he got 
while out on the road.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Indeed it is. They sent for him at six o’clock 
this morning with a hurry-up call for they didn’t think 
he could live until the Doctor got there.” 

“You don’t tell me!” 

“Yes, it’s so. The Doctor called me at ten 
o’clock and said he could not leave at all, for he was 
suffering everything.” 

“Oh, that isn’t so at all. You are just trying to 
‘kid’ me, and I won’t ‘kid’ worth a cent. You can’t 
tell me that all that he ate hurt him any.” 


CROSSED WIRES 


263 


‘'Kid nothing! Do you suppose the Doctor would 
go and stay all forenoon for nothing?’’ 

“No, when the bill goes in, it will probably be very 
evident he didn’t go for nothing.” 

“Well, that’s all right too. At two this afternoon 
the Doctor called me and said that he couldn’t pos- 
sibly live until night.” 

“What?” 

“Yes, and the Doctor said that he wouldn’t leave 
until the end came.” 

“Well, now. Miss Honecomb, you can joke me 
all you please about Duley, but this is carrying it a 
little too far.” 

“No joke about it. Do you suppose that I would 
send such a message as this over the phone when 
every ear on the line is probably at their receiver — ” 

(At this point in the conversation the operator at 
central in passing the switchboard noticed William, 
and she suspected some mischief. Rushing up she 
noticed the plugs misplaced and tried to straighten 


264 


SONNY 


them out, but she had forgotten who was talking and 
connected the veterinary surgeon’s wife with Miss 
Honecomb. ) 

“ — And say, you can call me anything you please 
hut Miss Honecomb, for she’s the most contemptible 
little piece of woman flesh in the county. I simply 
won’t stand for it — ” 

(The operator had been listening to see if she 
had them properly connected but was struck dumb 
when this amazing statement was shot straight into 
Miss Honecomb’s ear. The operator remembered a 
call for 132-E. and she grabbed the plug from Miss 
Honecomb’s number and connected 132-L with the 
veterinary surgeon’s wife, forgetting in her flurry 
that she had just disconnected this number.) 

“ — And say, there’s a scandal going the rounds 
now that someone tried to poison Duley last Sunday 
night down at the Chapering’s by putting dope in the 
lunch and they think it’s Roxie. It’s just dreadful 
what these two girls are up to — ” 


CROSSED WIRES 


265 


(All of which, of course, was poured into Roxie’s 
ear. The operator then remembered whose call 132-11 
was and she broke this connection.) 

The operator was distracted over the blunder for 
she feared mischief might result. She called Roxie 
and asked to whom she had been talking and ex- 
plained the cross connection as resulting from a little 
fellow who had come into the store with her mother. 
Aunt Rox and Miss Honecomb were reconnected and 
they both had a laugh over it all, for the gossip float- 
ing around did not worry either of them. 

Grandma had secured the new dress and hats for 
the boys and they started out to hunt Grandpa. They 
found him in an adjoining store, leaving his order for 
a new silk hat. When they arrived home. Aunt Rox 
began at once to relate the mixup on the phone and 
hadn’t yet found out who was so sick that the Doctor 
had gone to see, unless it should be Duley for sure. 

Grandma had a laugh and said that the veterinary 
had been called to see a sick horse and hadn’t returned 


266 


SONNY 


yet when they left town but guessed that Duley was 
all right, inasmuch as they had heard nothing to the 
contrary from him direct, and she regarded no news 
good news. 

“Well, now, ma, who’s to blame for this mixup?” 

“It certainly can’t be William’s fault for he knew 
no better. The operator had no business to be away 
from the switchboard. We could have waited until 
the storekeeper returned. I tell you Roxie, boys are 
boys and that’s all you can make out of them.” 


^‘Memories of the golden land of morning 
Haunt us in peace and strife; 

Vague visions of that fresh and happy season, 
The paradise of youth, 

When earth was one unfading landscape ” 


All the Year Round : “Longings/ 



CHAPTER TWENTY. 


THE FINISH. 

That evening a telephone message from home 
told the boys of an annual picnic in an adjoining vil- 
lage and advised that they come home and attend 
it. George and William were not much disposed to 
go home, yet decided it would probably be the wise 
thing to do. Grandpa told them that he would take 
them home in the spring wagon if they wanted him 
to do so. That was just the thing. The boys thought 
that possibly something would turn up and help to 
boost along some more fun. 

The next morning, George, William and Sonny 
sauntered up the road toward the railway station 
hoping that something would happen to pass the 
time away. When they came to the station the 
operator had been scrubbing and the floor was still 
wet. The operator suggested that they shock Sonny. 

269 


270 


SONNY 


“Good enough,” shouted William, “how will we 
do it?” 

The operator placed George in a chair and put 
the dog on his lap. Then he sat in his chair and 
placed his finger on the positive pole and pointed to 
the negative pole, upon which he told George to place 
his finger and then catch hold of Sonny’s foot with 
his other hand. The operator then held out his other 
hand as if to give Sonny a bit of candy. Sonny 
stretched out his neck to smell the supposed morsel 
and when he touched the finger, this, of course, com- 
pleted the circuit. George was shocked and jumped, 
just, of course, as Sonny was shocked and jumped. 
Sonny jumped for the operator to square his account 
with him and the push of the dog sent George sprawl- 
ing backwards over the chair and the operator, trying 
to get away from Sonny, went backwards over his 
chair. 

William and a few in the waiting room who were 
watching the performance exploded at the outcome. 


THE FINISH 


271 


The scramble of George and the operator in falling 
over their chairs and the roar of laughter rattled 
Sonny and he flew to catching his tail. This was 
always the dog’s first impulse in a roar of laughter 
and at this particular time saved the operator from 
a fracas with the dog. 

“Gee,” said George, with a sickly grin spreading 
from ear to ear, “I don’t know whether the joke is on 
Sonny or on us. That’s like getting struck with light- 
ning. Guess I don’t want any more of that.” 

The operator was of pretty much the same opinion 
as George, and reassembled himself at his seat in front 
of the keyboard. 

George and William started down the road for 
Grandma’s. Here Dick was hooked to the spring 
wagon in which were their belongings in a suitcase 
ready for home. 

Before they were ready to go. Grandpa asked 
Grandma to go with him to the barn that he might 
show her how he wanted the chores cared for in his 


272 


SONNY 


absence, for he thought he would stay over night 
with the boys and have a visit with “Mac and Serry.” 

George and William and Sonny went along to 
pay their farewells to the farm hand and scenes of a 
portion of their Summer outing. 

Grandpa got a long strap and asked Grandma 
and the boys to go along to the straw stack back of 
the barn to assist in pulling straw for bedding in the 
stable that evening. 

Grandpa led off and the procession took up its 
line of march to the straw pile with Sonny acting as 
drum major. 

The barn stood upon a bank. The ground sloped 
abruptly for about ten feet from the back of the barn, 
resulting from the dirt which had been scraped from 
the excavation for the stable. Running longitud- 
inally under the back portion of the barn, which ex- 
tended over the stable proper, was a drive way. How- 
ever, once down this bank the remainder of the barn 
yard was practically level. At the farther side was 


THE FINISH 


273 


the straw pile, back of which, and extending on either 
side, was a board fence. 

Sitting on the drive way was a mud boat upon 
which was an empty oil barrel with the head out, 
which Grandpa used for hauling water in the sum- 
mer time for wash day, as at this season the cistern 
was frequently dry. The barrel sat upright upon 
the boat. 

Grandpa, Grandma and the boys got busy at 
once pulling straw and placing it upon the strap. 

Dan, a buck sheep, was on dress parade in the 
barn yard. At the sight of Sonny he stamped his 
foot on the ground and made for the dog. Sonny 
showed fight. The boys, however, yelled at Sonny 
and he turned in flight and Dan took after him. 
Sonny broke for the end of the barn for the gate but 
this had been swung shut. He ran up the bank and 
down the drive way, and seeing the barrel he jumped 
for it for safety not knowing, of course, that the head 
was out. He consequently fell into it. The buck was 


18 


274 


SONNY 


so close behind that he made a pass at Sonny just as 
he jumped for the barrel, but instead of striking 
Sonny he hit the barrel, which overturned it and it 
started down the bank with Sonny inside. 

It all happened so quickly that Sonny had not 
time to get out and the bank being steep the barrel 
shot down it and across the barn yard with Sonny 
scrambling and yelping inside. 

“Look at that. Rose Ann!” shouted Grandpa, as 
the barrel shot past like a comet and struck the fence 
below with a thump. 

“Well, by jocks. Rose Ann, Dan certainly put it 
all over Sonny that time. That evens up for all his 
pranks about here.” 

Dan seemed to be satisfied with the outcome and 
began nibbling at a tuft of hay that he came upon. 

Grandpa and Grandma resumed pulling straw 
but George and William tired of this and began 
wrestling. Sonny joined the sport and got George 
by the pant leg and began to shake and growl sav- 


THE FINISH 


275 


agely enough to make those not acquainted with his 
pranks think that he was in earnest. 

The dog and William together got George down. 
Grandpa gave George the laugh, but George called 
out to Grandpa to look out for “laughing is catching.” 

Grandpa gathered the straw into the strap, swung 
it over his shoulder and started for the stable. Just 
as he came to the top of the bank, Dan came up from 
behind and gave Grandpa a butt that sent him 
sprawling headlong with the straw falling all over 
him and nearly burying him from sight. 

Grandpa was upon his hands and knees in an 
instant to jump to his feet to get away from the buck, 
but before he could rise Dan gave him another thump 
that sent him sprawling again. 

Grandma and the boys were really scared and 
thought to help out the situation by turning Sonny 
loose on the buck and they yelled “Sick him. Sonny! 
Sick him. Sonny!” 

Sonny tore up to the frac^is barking and the buck 


276 


SONNY 


turned in flight. Grandpa was upon his hands and 
knees a second time still half buried with the straw, 
ready to spring to his feet. 

Sonny, seeing the scramble in the straw and not 
knowing what he was really after, rushed at Grandpa 
and grabbed him by the seat of the overalls and began 
shaking and growling. 

The performance was so unexpected that it scared 
Grandpa. He rolled over to kick off the dog and 
before he knew it he and Sonny, enveloped in straw, 
were rolling down the bank. 

“Well, of all things, boys, look at that,’' shouted 
Grandma, “Sonny got Grandpa instead of the 
buck.” 

George knew that Sonny was only in fun and 
would not hurt Grandpa, and he called out: 

“Stick to it. Grandpa, you’re on top half of the 
time.” 

The boys yelled at Sonny and he let go. Grandpa 
was upon his feet in a minute and called out in rage : 


THE FINISH 


277 


“Well, Rose Ann, this is certainly the finish. 
Beat’s anything I have ever seen or heard of. It’s 
bad enough to kick a man when he’s down, but to sick 
the dog on him is worse yet. I’ll kill that dog yet.” 

“Now, Jack, the dog wasn’t to blame. I was 
afraid Dan would kill you and I sicked Sonny on 
him but he got you instead.” 

“Well, that’s the first time in my life that I was 
ever taken for a buck sheep. Rose Ann, that’s add- 
ing insult to injury. Do I look it?” asked Grandpa 
as he straigtened himself up in front of her. 

“No, Jack, I can’t say that you do, but you’re 
making a whole lot of fuss about the very dog that 
probably saved your life.” 

“There you go again, patching up the troubles 
that that ’tarnel dog has been makin’ around here for 
the last two weeks.” 

“Well, Jack, Sonny certainly didn’t hurt you any 
for he didn’t even tear your overalls when he got hold 
of them.” 


278 


SONNY 


“Well, Rose Ann, if the overalls was all that he 
had hold of it would be a different matter. The way 
things line up now I’ll not be able to sit down with 
any degree of comfort for the next two weeks to 
come.” 

“Now, Jack, you’re scared worse than you’re hurt. 
If Sonny nipped you a little, I have some corn salve 
that you can rub on and that will fix you up all 
right.” 

“Corn salve!” shouted Grandpa, in a rage, “where 
do you think I wear my shoes?” 

“Well, now Jack, don’t get agitated over a friv- 
olous matter like this mixup. You know that you 
were wanting the boys to come up and make us a 
visit and liven things up about the place.” 

“Well, they certainly have kept things merry 
since they have been here.” 

“Yes, Jack, and when they go home it will be 
awful lonesome for a while. I wish the boys could 
stay all Summer for I have enjoyed every day since 
they have been here.” 


THE FINISH 


279 


“Well, Rose Ann, I suppose you’re right. After 
all when I think it over there has been a good deal 
of fun. That dog has written a new chapter to my 
experiences at any rate. Come on, boys, we’ll go to 
the house and get ready to go home. Rose Ann, 
bring out a cushion with you when we get ready to 
start and I’ll put it on the front seat and Sonny can 
ride every step of the way home, and I’ll take one of 
my red premium tickets that I took at the County 
Fair last Fall and tie it onto him for he certainly 
deserves some distinction.” 

They all went to the house where preparations 
were made for the trip home. 

When the boys were ready they got Sonny into 
the spring wagon and Grandma bade the boys good- 
bye and told them to be sure and come back for 
another visit and to bring Sonny along. 

When they reached home Sonny had a great 
time telling Helen about his visit. He played and 
pranked and frisked about and did the best he could 


280 


SONNY 


to make himself understood, and George and William 
rehearsed the doings which threw light upon Sonny’s 
actions. 

George and William are still two buxom boys 
enjoying life as they find it and Duley is their uncle. 
Sonny is in clover furnishing a continuous vaudeville 
for the boys. 




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